Fans will have to wait until the preseason kicks off in October to see Kevin Durant play his first game in a Golden State Warriors uniform. But on Tuesday night, Durant played in his first game at Oracle Arena, Golden State’s home court, since joining the Warriors. USA Basketball held an exhibition against China ahead of the Rio Olympics in front of a crowd that largely approved of Durant’s move to Golden State.
Durant was introduced with the starters before the game, and needless to say, a crowd heavy on Warriors fans loved it. Here’s a video of his almost 30-second ovation during player intros from Sports Illustrated‘s Ben Golliver:
Warriors' Kevin Durant gets extended ovation before USA vs. China at Oracle Arena pic.twitter.com/TqyslF5yZY
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) July 27, 2016
Not even 10 seconds into the game, Durant nailed a three-pointer which sent his new hometown crowd into a frenzy:
This is only an exhibition game that doesn’t amount to much outside of a chance to wear the national team’s jersey, but it’s still a little surreal to see given the circumstances. There are going to be plenty of these moments in this arena during the 2016-17 season. The difference is, once fall comes around, Durant will be wearing blue and yellow, not red, white, and blue. Still, these games are a good teaser for what he’ll look like playing alongside fellow Olympians and Warriors teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Once you add Stephen Curry into that mix as well, we’re talking about a team that will be virtually unguardable.
