Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas recently took some time to reminisce on what it was like from his perspective when Kevin Durant suffered a devastating injury in the 2019 NBA Finals.
At the time, Durant was a member of the Golden State Warriors, and they were facing the Toronto Raptors.
Thomas told a wild story about how he reacted to Durant’s heartbreaking setback.
“I was hurt for Kevin that night, and Kevin, I don’t know if you remember. In Toronto, I was sitting right there, and when you limped off the court, I knew exactly what — and I think only athletes kinda feel this way sometimes when you know what the other person is going through,” Thomas said to Durant during a podcast. “I actually got emotional, and I don’t know if you know this, but I bust through the back as you walking out. I bust through security. They was like, ‘Isiah, what is you doing?’ I knew I wasn’t supposed to be in the moment, but I was like a fan. … You were probably looking at me like, ‘Zeke, what the f— you doing back here?'”
Durant’s Achilles injury in the 2019 NBA Finals kept him sidelined for the entire 2019-20 season, but since then, he has completely bounced back from the setback.
The 33-year-old is one of the top players in the league today, and he’s working on a stellar 2021-22 campaign. He’s averaging 29.7 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game while shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from deep.
Durant is hoping to lead the Brooklyn Nets to this season’s NBA title. So far, the Nets are 26-15 on the season, which is the third-best record in the Eastern Conference.
