With Kevin Durant’s departure to the rival Golden State Warriors and Russell Westbrook’s decision to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder, in which he emphasized loyalty, upcoming matchups between the two are likely to become the most bitter personal battles the NBA has seen since the days of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.
And that is a bit sad, partly because many pitted the two Thunder stars against each other during their time together due to their sometimes conflicting styles of play.
Rumors about the two not getting along well on the court were consistently shot down, and the two undoubtedly grew close after eight years with the Thunder, and shared in many successes, primarily a run to the 2012 NBA Finals against the Miami Heat.
But after a blown 3-1 series lead against the Warriors in late May, when everything seemed to be coming together for Oklahoma City, it's all different now, suddenly.
Now it's about Durant vs. Westbrook, the bad breakup and the aftermath.
Westbrook gave the Thunder fans all they wanted to hear Thursday afternoon at a news conference, announcing at Chesapeake Energy Arena his decision to extend his contract with the team, and playing the role of the savior the franchise needed in the wake of Durant's decision.
"There's nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma City," Westbrook said. "Definitely, when I had the opportunity to be able to be loyal to you guys, that's the No. 1 option. Loyalty is something that I stand by."
Westbrook wanted to emphasize loyalty to Thunder Nation after Durant's move, and it's clear he lost some respect for Durant after he apparently found out about the decision, as he said, "like y'all found out."
"On the news, on the cellphones, the social media," Westbrook said. "I talked to Kevin early on in the process. But nothing after. Just a text message from him. That's about it."
Matchups between the Thunder and Warriors are going to feel larger than a contest between two teams, which were already rivals, as the Warriors have the better roster and in all likelihood will be the better team.
Durant will likely be lustily booed when he returns to Chesapeake Energy Arena, where he poured his heart out in games for eight seasons. It's the nature of sports and competition, despite the reality that the NBA is a business.
Bad blood now abounds for Durant in Oklahoma City among most hardcore Thunder fans. Durant's restaurant is gone from Bricktown, and Westbrook will enter the 2016-17 season in full "I must destroy you" mode.
Durant has moved on to the Bay Area in California and to the Warriors, a stacked team that looks like a powerhouse for years to come with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and now Durant.
In a report for ESPN, Thunder writer Royce Young wrote that Durant's decision was influenced by his inner circle, who urged him to move on to a new situation that would be better for him.
No star player has left another star behind in similar fashion since Bryant, of the Los Angeles Lakers, infamously ushered O'Neal out the door.
The two tangled for years to come, both on and off (Warning: video contains explicit language) the court.
Durant and Westbrook are both good guys, and for now, they are saying the right things.
"We'd been together eight years," Westbrook said. "You don't throw that away. Obviously, he's now with a new team. But we definitely will talk eventually. But obviously, now we haven't."
Durant said he was happy for Westbrook, and his decision to sign a new contract with the Thunder, according to The Vertical's Michael Lee.
“I’m happy to see any player in this league do whatever they want to do,” Durant said. “As long as he wasn’t pressured to do anything and felt like he did everything he wanted to do. And that’s how I feel about every player in this league. It’s good for him, man. It’s good for his family. It’s good for the people in Oklahoma City that love to watch him play and love to have him on their team."
Eventually Kobe and Shaq reconciled their differences, as will Durant and Westbrook.
But the years and matchups to come will be hot-tempered battles between two stars who, unfortunately, never quite worked it out together.
