Imagine an ‘Avengers Assemble’ type of situation, but make it the NBA version. That was the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2010s. A roster full of stars. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison, Kendrick Perkins. And to top it off, the 2009 No. 3 overall pick, James Harden. This looked like a team that could win a championship ring without batting an eyelid. But sadly, every time they came closer, the rivals were heavy on them. However, the only thing that the fans truly believed was in the KD-Westbrook-Harden trio, until it was no more.

After contract talks with OKC collapsed, James Harden packed his bags for the Houston Rockets on October 27, 2012, in a blockbuster trade that reshaped destinies. Daryl Morey called him “foundational,” and soon after, Harden inked a five-year, $80 million deal that screamed belief. “I didn’t know what was going on until right at the end. I didn’t know that they were negotiating. Me, James, and Russell had just come off the finals of the Olympics, so I wasn’t really thinking about contracts or none of that,” Kevin Durant spoke up in episode 1 of Starting 5, Season 2 on Netflix.

Therefore, when they came back after the Olympics in 2012, voices in the training camp grew louder. “I’m like, oh, s–t. I never thought there was a possibility he would leave. He was my little brother when he was a couple of years out,” the Slim Reaper added. Meanwhile, social media precisely (then) Twitter, erupted with messages from LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and other rival teams. Everyone was welcoming Harden to Houston.

“And what really pissed me off is, like, Bron and D-Wade and so many dudes around the NBA center, too. So, like, ‘congrats to my bro James.’ ‘He got his, like, he’s going to Houston. He’s going to kill there.’ And they were just happy everywhere together. They were so happy,” Durant shared his frustration. “I know Bron was so f—–g happy that we wasn’t together no more because we was on their a–. Everybody in the league was like, ‘Man, James, I’m so happy you’re at Houston, man. You’re going to kill it. My bro, I was like, shut the f–k up. Y’all are just f—–g scared. Y’all are ruining this whole thing.”

It felt like good riddance for most teams in the NBA. Finally, OKC and the Rockets’ handshake shattered the KD-Westbrook-Harden trio. From 2009 to 2012, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden turned Oklahoma City into a storm that never stopped brewing. Averaging nearly 59.9 points, 15.5 rebounds, and 12.4 assists, they powered the Thunder to a 149–79 record and a Finals run in 2012. Though they fell to Miami, their fire reshaped the league, birthing three future MVPs and rewriting what young greatness could look like.

Years passed, jerseys changed, and rivalries took center stage, yet the bond between them stayed untouched. Through battles, buzzer-beaters, and countless storylines, the connection between Kevin Durant and James Harden never dimmed. Seventeen years later, their friendship still breathes the same fire it once did in Oklahoma. They’ve fought, grown, and evolved—but the brotherhood remains, stitched deep beneath every roar and arena light.

Kevin Durant and James Harden’s bond that went beyond the realms of the OKC Thunder

“Me and KD’s relationship is like… I’ve been knowing KD for a long time. And now like, us older and our different spaces in life, it’s still fun,” James Harden said on Starting 5. “Just ’cause, like, it’s a different type of fun, but I remember just going down to DC. Staying at his apartment.” Meanwhile, Kevin Durant, too, shared his true feelings about the Beard.

“Yo, that’s my real brother, man. We really hang out. You know what I’m saying? Like, since we were 19, 20 years old,” KD said. “I remember, I was a freshman in college and I was in LA. Me and Greg Oden had went to, like Roscoe’s one night. James just pulled up on us. I think that was just the start of it right there.” Well, at that moment or ever after that day, almost two decades ago, Kevin Durant never really expressed his true feelings to James. However, he always knew, as he shared, “He is one of us.”

Greatness once wore Thunder blue, and its echoes still rumble through time. From young dreamers to seasoned legends, Kevin Durant and James Harden carved their paths across cities, headlines, and heartbreaks. The world saw them break apart, but never break away. Their story, built on fire, faith, and a bond that refused to fade, remains a reminder that some connections outlast every trade, every roar, every era.