OKC Thunder to Host Kevin Durant, Rockets on Ring Night

The NBA season will open on Oct. 21 with the Oklahoma City Thunder hosting the Houston Rockets and former Franchise legend Kevin Durant. This will represent both the opening game of the NBA calendar and the first ring night in OKC Thunder history.

Mar 3, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) go for the ball during the second quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA Champions for the first time in franchise history. As is tradition, the NBA will open its season with a Tuesday doubleheader, which must include the Champs.

This will be the first ring ceremony in team history for Oklahoma City and a long-awaited day after many years of coming close to that elusive championship since relocating back in 2008.

On Friday, ESPN's Shams Charania reported the opening night doubleheader for the 2025-26 NBA season, tipping off on Oct. 21.

Apr 4, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) handles the ball against Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

2025-26 NBA Opening Night Schedule

• Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma City Thunder
• Golden State Warriors @ Los Angeles Lakers

Ring night was always going to be a must-see event for the Bricktown faithful. Fans would've huddled around the TV and shown up in droves at the Paycom Center to watch the Thunder play Eisenhower High School and be issued their title rings. It really didn't matter who the NBA put on the other side of the best team in basketball.

However, the league did the funniest possible thing.

The NBA is built on drama, narratives and storylines. The script is clear with the opening night slate. The Houston Rockets finished as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference a year ago and gave the Thunder great battles during the regular season a year ago, including in the NBA Cup.

But this offseason, Houston made a big splash. They traded for Kevin Durant. The Future Hall of Fame forward who began his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder, leading the team to its first-ever Finals appearance back in 2012 and multiple Western Conference Finals trips. The last of which ended in disaster, with the Thunder blowing a 3-1 series lead against the Golden State Warriors.

Weeks later, Durant was spurned Oklahoma City and fled for the Bay Area to team up with the Warriors' all-time great roster and win a pair of empty championships. This made Durant enemy No. 1 in Bricktown after seeing him be held in the highest regard.

Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder have more than rebuilt. They have the best core and deepest roster in the NBA and are fresh off their first-ever championship, a height Durant could never reach as a head of the snake option in Bricktown.

The League bringing Houston to Oklahoma City for opening night makes this must-see TV for the entire basketball landscape. Durant forced to sit there and watch Shai Gilgeous-Alexander surpass his legacy, the Thunder prance around with their rings and field a chorus of boos –– or perhaps even worse, indifference from a building he helped build.

No matter if Durant is pacing the sideline as this ceremony unfolds or scampers to the locker room to avoid the jubilation, fair or not, the rest of the basketball world will be putting him under a microscope. He will also be peppered with questions about the event, both prior to and following this game.

Adam Silver is jump starting the 2025-26 NBA season with a heckuva storyline.