On Tuesday night, Kevin Durant will step onto the Chase Center court, facing Warriors fans for the first time since his departure for Brooklyn, marking the NBA’s 2023-24 opening night extravaganza.

Warriors fans should welcome him as a hero. Durant spent three seasons in Golden State, achieving two Finals MVP titles as the Warriors secured back-to-back NBA championships. During his time with the team, he averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game while consistently earning All-NBA honors.

The question that lingers is whether this remarkable contribution is enough to warrant the retirement of his jersey by the Warriors. Warriors co-executive chairman and CEO, Joe Lacob, believes it is, and Durant shares the sentiment. When asked about the possibility of his jersey retirement by Lacob and the Golden State organization, Durant expressed his agreement to Marc Spears of ESPN’s Andscape.

Durant stated, “He should. Look at the résumé. That would warrant me to get a jersey retirement, right? Do I want to be honored by a franchise I put work in for? Of course, I would love that. I had some great moments there. I built some solid relationships there. Yeah, man. Hell yeah, that would be sweet. I love that organization, man. I love my time there, seriously. Me leaving, people shouldn’t doubt that because I left there.”

Lacob has indicated that no one would wear Durant’s No. 35 jersey during his tenure, hinting at a potential future jersey retirement. While it may indeed happen, it might not occur until after Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have their numbers hung in the rafters.

Durant holds only positive sentiments about his time in Golden State, viewing it as an essential part of his journey, preparing him for the aspirations he holds with the Suns. The upcoming game at the Chase Center will provide an opportunity to see how Warriors fans respond to Durant in a different context, as his previous visit took place during COVID restrictions with no fans in attendance.