SAN FRANCISCO – The image of Kevin Durant’s first look at the future home of the Warriors before Chase Center ever opened will forever live on infamy.
The hard hat. The safety goggles. The bright yellow construction vest. The Nike socks hiked up nearly to his knees, and his black boots with the tongue flapping around.
Before what wound up being Durant’s third and final season with the Warriors, the franchise’s recruitment pitch to make him wear a Golden State jersey the rest of his NBA career included that now infamous tour of Chase Center. The images can’t go away, just like the reality that Durant has played at Chase Center five times but never as a Warrior.
Sunday night’s 2025 NBA All-Star Game at Chase Center was the closest Durant has ever been to playing on the Warriors’ home court as a member of his former team, again sharing the floor with Steph Curry, only this time for Shaq’s OGs in the event’s revamped format.
When Durant was introduced Saturday at Oakland Arena for media day, one player ahead of Curry, he was greeted by a massive ovation that brought a huge grin across his face. No surprise for someone who went to three consecutive NBA Finals and won two championships and two Finals MVPs in his three years representing the Bay Area.
