Before tip-off of the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, we chronicled just how awkward things had been between Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, and boy, were they awkward. Their lockers were about as far away from one another as possible, they avoided each other in the pre-game photo shoot for the West All-Stars, and Russ opted to warm-up on the opposite end of the court instead of share the same airspace as his former teammate turned arch nemesis.
There was a lot of speculation about whether Steve Kerr would even put them out on the court together, but that was squelched early on. And then, something magical happened. On one sequence, Westbrook did the unthinkable and actually passed the ball to KD. But it didn’t stop there.
As Westbrook darted toward the basket, Durant lobbed it up for him for an alley-oop jam.
If you're wondering what it sounded like on the Western Conference bench when KD and Russ reconnected… #NBAAllStar pic.twitter.com/ueqcoH7XWR
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 20, 2017
Apparently, reflexes just took over from all their years together in OKC.
Needless to say, the basketball-viewing world heaved a sigh of relief, and nobody was more excited than their West All-Star teammates, who broke out into a wild celebration following a timeout after the play. It’s been one of the better feel-good moments of the weekend so far.
