Oklahoma City Thunder Have Something Rare in Kevin Durant

We all know that Kevin Durant is one of the two or three best players in the NBA right now and that’s not really up for debate. He’s unquestionably the leader of the Oklahoma City Thunder and gives the team every ounce of energy that he can muster, as he showed in the 2013 NBA Playoffs when he was playing without his cohort, Russell Westbrook.

Durant deserves every bit of praise that you can give him for his play. He’s coming off the best regular season of his career. Durant averaged 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game on 51 percent shooting from the floor, 41.6 percent from three and 90.5 percent free-throw shooting. He showed improvements on his all-around game and elevated himself beyond just being an elite scorer.

However, Durant is special to the Thunder and Oklahoma City for more reasons than just the fact that he’s insanely good at the game of basketball. This guy is becoming the face of, not only the franchise, but of the city as well. He may have been born in Washington D.C., but Durant will forever be associated with the city and will always be able to call OKC home.

This was never more evident than, in the wake of the devastating tornadoes in the Oklahoma City area, Durant selflessly donated $1 million to the relief effort and to the victims of the disaster. Would he have done the same had it been a tragedy somewhere else? Possibly, but since it happened in Oklahoma City, there was really no question that he was going to help. This happened close to his home and he felt obligated to help.

It’s rare when an athlete of such a high caliber becomes so engrained in a city like Durant already has with Oklahoma City. He becomes part of the culture and the lore of the city and it lasts forever. There’s a picture that surfaced of a Durant jersey hanging on a post by the shambles of what used to be someone’s home. Durant is like a superhero to the people of that city and this latest gesture only helps solidify that. It’s a rare thing, but what is happening with Durant and Oklahoma City is one of the most special things that can occur in sports.

Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20 and like his Facebook page.