Westbrook was reportedly “ticked off” at the time of Durant’s decision and said in February he wasn’t sure if the two could ever repair their relationship because “it’s not really up to me, honestly.” Durant has responded to some of Westbrook’s troll tactics over the past year with his own subtle moves. But perhaps all of the drama could be coming to an end.
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Former Thunder center Kendrick Perkins, who played in Oklahoma City from 2010-2015, told Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer Durant and Westbrook are talking to each other once again.
This revelation makes sense considering Durant publicly congratulated Westbrook on winning MVP in June via his verified YouTube page.
The group message has been silent following Durant’s departure to Oakland last summer. Perkins thinks it will resume activity in the future. “At least they’re talking to each other again,” he said. “I know they had talked right after they announced Russ won MVP. They texted. I think they broke the ice."
“Huge congrats to Russell Westbrook on MVP, that boy went out there and was a created player on (the popular video game NBA) 2k all year,” Durant wrote at the time. “F—in balled out. Gotta respect it!”
While Durant and Westbrook appear to be back on speaking terms, don’t expect those competitive juices to stop flowing once the stars see each other this season. Some NBA fans speculated Westbrook took a shot at Durant with his outfit choice following a preseason game against Melbourne United. There was also a report this week tthe Warriors don’t fear Westbrook and believe defending his style of play is easy. There’s always going to be the game within the game.
With Westbrook sticking in OKC after signing a massive extension and Durant unlikely to leave Golden State in the near future, we should get a few more intriguing battles between these Western Conference powerhouses. Buckle up. The NBA is almost back.
