:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68458762/1198878479.0.jpg)
Kevin Durant’s return to the Bay Area to face the Golden State Warriors was delayed last year when an Achilles injury kept him out for the entirety of the season.
But now he’s finally headed back, to make his Chase Center debut. According to a report from The Athletic, the Brooklyn Nets will visit San Francisco to take on the Warriors on Feb. 13.
Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets will visit the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 13 in a primetime Saturday night game, marking Durant’s return to the Bay, sources tell me and @anthonyVslater.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 4, 2020
At this point it seems unlikely that fans will be allowed in the building by that time, which is a mega bummer. The fan reaction will be must-see TV whenever it is able to happen, but it would seem that we’ll have to wait a bit longer for it.
Still, there’s something a little poetic about Durant returning to the Bay Area but not having fans there. While most Warriors fans love KD and are indebted to him for his role in hanging two banners, there is some awkwardness and tension between the two sides. That vibe has been fueled by some of Durant’s social media posts, and reports that he was upset that the fan base didn’t embrace him as much as the homegrown talents of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green.
So Durant finally suiting up against the Warriors, in the Bay Area, but with nary a fan present? It’s oddly fitting.