James Harden, Kevin Durant Reunite Once Again
Back in February, Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant wasn’t pleased with his two-time teammate, James Harden. A little over a year since reuniting with Harden in Brooklyn, Durant lost Harden as a teammate for the second time after the veteran guard forced his way out.
Harden landed with the Philadelphia 76ers via trade. Shortly after the deal went down, a clearly displeased Kevin Durant refused to draft Harden to his All-Star team. At that point, it seemed there was bad blood between the two teammates-turned-rivals.
These days, it’s apparent the beef was short-lived. Although Harden and Durant didn’t have much to say to each other back in March, when the Nets and the Sixers met for the fourth and final time during the 2021-2022 season, the two stars have been spotted hanging out and even working out together multiple times this offseason.
Three weeks ago, Durant and Harden attended a Travis Scott concert in London. Cameras caught the two NBA superstars hanging out in the crowd and backstage at the show.
In addition to attending the concert together, Harden and Durant were spotted working out in Barcelona. After returning to the states, Harden and Durant reunited this week as the Nets superstar was a guest at Harden’s 33rd birthday party, along with Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young.
Had Harden’s birthday party happened last week, Durant’s presence at the event would’ve caused a massive stir in the NBA, as Durant was still intrigued with the idea of being traded away from the Nets.
After requesting a change of scenery back in June, as he was skeptical of the direction Brooklyn was headed in, Durant reportedly liked the idea of going to Philadelphia to play alongside Harden for the third time in his career.
Those rumors have now fizzled out. After Durant met with Brooklyn’s ownership, Sean Marks, and Steve Nash, the star forward ultimately decided to continue working with the Nets despite requesting a trade one year after inking a multi-year extension with the team.
Harden and Durant’s friendship might be in a great place again, but it doesn’t mean they are set to reunite on the basketball court anytime soon. When October rolls around and the Sixers face the Nets for their preseason opener on the third, Harden and Durant are back to being competitors on the opposite side of the ball.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
