[UT alumn Kevin Durant throws a football ahead of the Texas versus Ohio State game at DKR Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.
UT alumn Kevin Durant throws a football ahead of the Texas versus Ohio State game at DKR Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026.](https://thedailytexan.com/2026/10/22/kevin-durant-gets-second-chance-at-homecoming-king/#photo)
The Frank Erwin Center erupted 19 years ago when an 18-year-old, skinny forward wearing No. 35 walked onto the court for Texas men’s basketball. Kevin Durant was the heart of “the Drum” and left as arguably the greatest Longhorn basketball player of all time and was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Nineteen years later, it’s no longer the Frank Erwin Center at the epicenter of Longhorns basketball, it’s the Moody Center. It’s no longer No. 35 on the back of the jersey anymore, it’s No. 7. But it’s still Kevin Durant.
The San Antonio Spurs will play against Durant and the Houston Rockets tomorrow night for their I-35 series, marking the ninth time the Spurs have played in Austin.
However, it isn’t the first time that Durant has returned to his alma mater. Back in Feb. 2025, the Spurs faced him when he was with the Phoenix Suns. The future Hall-of-Famer was welcomed to thunderous applause, and while Durant didn’t get to embrace a victory that night, he felt the energy of basketball in Austin.
“They’re gonna come show out for the Spurs and a former Longhorn in myself, but I think if it was any team coming here, they’d be excited for basketball,” Durant said during the week of that 2025 game. “This city is a basketball city, and (Moody Center) is fit for NBA basketball.”
When Spurs guard Dylan Harper was asked on Thursday how good it would feel to spoil another KD homecoming, he jokingly expressed confusion about who the road team was.
“This is a home game for us, right?” Harper said. “I know, I know, but I mean, just focus on getting a win, that’s the biggest thing.”
Durant and Harper have a connection that goes back to Harper’s college days. After the second-year guard signed an NIL deal with Nike at Rutgers, the brand had KD send him a personalized video, welcoming Harper to the family and reminding him of the raised bar in collegiate and pro-level basketball.
“He was someone while going through my process that he’d reach out,” Harper said. “I’ve talked to him; high school, college, from when we played against each other, things like that, but not much reaching out. It’s more of a mutual respect, and I feel like we’re both going to go out there and give it our all.”
Durant has had one of the longest and most decorated careers of any NBA player. Along with his two championships and four Olympic gold medals, he’s scored 32,627 regular-season points over 19 seasons, which is fifth all-time.
But Durant hasn’t just provided on the court. He has also made major contributions to the Austin community.
He donated $3 million dollars to the University in 2018 toward a practice basketball facility. Earlier this year, he started an NIL program for Texas athletes, signing women’s basketball forward Madison Booker, who dons the same number Durant once wore on the Forty Acres.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson recognized the legacy Durant has had across his basketball career.
“Yeah, obviously he’s held in high regard here, rightfully so,” Johnson said. “As he showed in game one, still flying high. He hasn’t slowed down, and it’s a testament to the work he put in and his preparation, all he’s done in the off-season for a lot of years now.”
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Spurs or Rockets, it’ll be a treat for everyone to see Durant play and score on the Longhorn’s campus once again. For Johnson, only one of those outcomes will be fun.
“It’s a joy to watch,” Johnson said. “And hopefully he misses a few shots tomorrow.”