There’s no love lost between Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
After nailing a game-winning triple over against his former team on Monday night, the Houston Rockets star forward reveled in revenge against an organization that he clearly feels did him dirty.
Kevin Durant says Suns used him as a scapegoat
Durant spent three seasons in Phoenix before being traded to Houston over the offseason. Following the Rocket’s 100-97 win over the Suns, Durant said that he felt like the Suns made him a scapegoat and forced him out the door.
"A place that I didn't want to leave,” Durant said of Phoenix. “My first time -- I don't want to sound too dramatic, but I will -- to be kicked out of a place.
"It feels good to play against a team that booted you out of the building and scapegoated you for all the problems they had," he continued. "And it hurt because I put all my effort and love and care towards the Suns and the Phoenix area and Arizona in general. But that's just the business, that's the name of the game. So, when you play against a [former] team, yeah you got a chip on your shoulder."
Durant got his lick back against the Suns on Monday night to the tune of 26 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists and the deciding basket in the closing seconds of the contest.
KEVIN DURANT. CLUTCH.Pic.twitter.com/zLgDtpiE0C
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) January 6, 2026
In terms of a revenge game, you couldn't draw it up much better, though Durant wanted to make it clear that his animosity doesn't extend to his former teammates.
"It's nothing but love for the players, but I want to beat that team," Durant said. "I want to show them that I still got some juice in the tank. Even though I'm old, I still can play.
"I feel like every player has that mentality playing against their former team. I don't think it's malicious in any way towards them. But just as a competitor, you want to go out there and beat them."
Durant will have another opportunity to extract some revenge against the Suns when they host the Rockets in April.