SAN FRANCISCO – Kevin Durant came out of the locker room on Saturday afternoon and took the Chase Center pitch 66 minutes before switching to his former team.

For the first time since 2019, the two-time MVP of the final and two-time champion was back in the Bay Area.

On his way to the Brooklyn Nets’ basket side to begin his pre-game training routine, he had to go through the Golden State Warriors basket.

Stephen Curry was filming at the time.

The 7-foot star was all smiles, stopping to greet Warriors development coaches Aaron Miles and Luke Loucks with hugs.

He continued to walk and met Ralph Walker, the Warriors’ longtime security official. The two kissed and discussed momentarily.

About 15 minutes after finishing his practice, Durant went to the Warriors bench to exchange pleasantries with assistant coaches Ron Adams and Chris DeMarco.

Adams had the longest pre-game conversation with Durant. The future 11-time All-Star always appreciated Adams’ basketball acumen and appreciated his method of delivery.

Curry and Durant finally caught up and shared a laugh on the pitch. These two were one of the deadliest duos in NBA history who used to have some of the most legendary and fierce shooting competitions in practice.

Durant is unlikely to prepare for the Warriors again, but the goal of the night, aside from winning a game, was to show Durant how much he is appreciated.

During his three seasons of residency in the Bay Area, the franchise he guided to two championships did everything possible to express him and convince him that he was a treasured part of his story.

They showered him with praise and worship, although some of it was exaggerated in his estimation because he just wanted to play ball and blend in with the rest of the players.

But the Warriors witnessed Durant’s treatment when he returned to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder for the first time.

There has been no homage paid for him, and LeBron James and Durant are the only two players who know what it is like to play in front of such a hostile environment filled with venom that was once home.

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Durant had given so much to the Thunder and the community. He was deeply hurt. The warriors saw it.

In the game’s first timeout on Saturday, the Warriors released a one-minute tribute video to Durant including his greatest moments with the club. Durant never looked up to watch as he focused on head coach Steve Nash’s instructions in the squad. But when he got back to the floor, he waved a hand at the few family, fans and team staff in attendance who were applauding.

Knowing Durant, he appreciated it.

“The tribute video was cool,” Durant said after the Victory of the Nets 134-117 in which he had 20 points, five rebounds and six assists. “I think about those times on a daily basis. Every moment I have in this league I think about it and try to analyze it and improve myself. My time here in Golden State was so much fun, such a great learning experience, especially learning different basketball, different philosophy. I’ll take this with me for the rest of my life. The tribute video was cool, but I still replay those moments in my head.

Durant took a lot of criticism for his decision to join the Warriors in 2016. It was a movement that was never universally adopted. Yet Durant has always immersed himself in the community.

Its impact in the Bay Area in such a short time is unmatched.

He launched an annual vacation program with $ 50,000 in grants that supported the Elizabeth House Oakland – which offers a residence to women with children who have experienced the poverty of homelessness, violence and drug addiction – and Larkin Street Youth Services which provides homeless youth with health care, housing, employment and education.

He renovated six basketball courts at the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Peninsula, Lincoln Square Park in Oakland, Hunters Point in San Francisco, and Hayes Valley Playground in San Francisco.

It provided $ 74,000 in scholarships which covered first-year tuition for Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula students entering college and a grant of $ 10,000 was awarded to the Debugging Silicon Valley, a community justice organization.

He donated shoes to support Northern California Wildfire Relief, hosted eight Make-A-Wish kids at Warriors games between 2017-19 and over 800 children and families attended Warriors home games via donated tickets .

Durant dominated on and off the field for the Warriors. His presence in the Bay Area may not have been well received, but his presence has certainly been felt in multiple ways.

He’s not on their side anymore, but the Warriors were doing something on Saturday that they did while he was on their side: tell him how much he is appreciated.

“It was great to see Kevin tonight,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “We’re all so happy for him that he’s healthy and playing at such a high level and he looks very happy. We are delighted and happy to see him go well. It would have been great to have fans here to welcome him again and thank him for his three years here, but obviously with the pandemic a different situation. “

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