Texas Professional Athletes

Kevin Durant's Texas-Sized Week

Twenty seasons in, Kevin Durant is still making history — and doing it on familiar ground.

The former Longhorn opened the 2026-27 NBA season with a signature 30-point, 6-rebound, 3-assist performance in Houston's 128-110 dismantling of the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, becoming the latest milestone marker in a career that refuses to slow down. Durant shot 10-of-16 from the field and added a steal and a block in 37 minutes of work, sharing the spotlight with Jabari Smith Jr., who also finished with 30 points. After the game, Durant offered a characteristically understated response to Smith's big night — and the Rockets' fast-break-fueled offense, which generated 29 fast-break points — crediting the return of Fred VanVleet as the engine that lets everyone play their natural roles.

Then came Friday, and a homecoming.

Houston traveled to Moody Center in Austin to face the San Antonio Spurs in what became a tale of two Longhorn loyalties. Durant, who calls Texas "my foundation," drew a contingent of burnt-orange faithful into what was nominally a Spurs home game. The result: a gritty 114-110 Rockets win that kept Houston undefeated at 2-0. Durant finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 36 minutes, and was characteristically vocal after Amen Thompson delivered a stunning block on Victor Wembanyama in the game's final seconds to seal the victory. Durant's five-word Instagram reaction and his locker room commentary — which questioned Wembanyama's decision to challenge Thompson at the rim — quickly went viral. The Rockets head into a Saturday visit to Atlanta at 2-0 with Durant once again listed as available.

Jarrett Allen Battles Through

On the other side of the alumni ledger, Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen — also a former Longhorn — had a quietly productive week after entering it as a question mark. Allen was listed as questionable ahead of Cleveland's season opener against the 76ers on Thursday, but suited up and delivered 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 28 minutes in a 106-114 loss. He bounced back Saturday against the Nets, posting 21 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in 27 minutes as the Cavs took a 125-121 win.

Around the Rest of the Longhorn Diaspora

Texas alumni made noise elsewhere, too. Jaxson Hayes had an eye-opening stat line for the Jazz on Saturday — 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks in a 120-119 win over the Pelicans, finishing a plus-9 in 25 minutes. Earlier in the week he posted 6 blocks against the Grizzlies, even in a losing effort.

Rookie Tre Johnson continued to show flashes for Washington. The Wizards guard scored 20 points in 25 minutes Friday against the Raptors, adding a steal, though Washington fell 102-112. He also chipped in 8 points in a surprise Wizards win over Milwaukee on Wednesday.

Myles Turner, now with the Bucks, logged 6 blocks across two games this week — an encouraging sign for a team navigating a rocky start. He finished Friday's loss to the Bulls with 12 points and 5 rejections in 30 minutes, though Milwaukee dropped both games to fall to 0-2.

Durant's week was the headline. But across the NBA, the Texas alumni network gave Longhorn fans plenty to watch.

Five Texas Longhorns alumni are making noise across the NBA as the 2026-27 season tips off — none louder than Kevin Durant, who has turned a trade drama into a full-blown public feud with his former owner.

Durant vs. Ishbia: The Soap Opera Continues

Durant, now entering his second season with the Houston Rockets after departing Phoenix in the 2025 offseason, didn't let Mat Ishbia's recent media comments slide quietly. In a CNBC Sports interview, Ishbia reflected on the Kevin Durant era and what it taught him about team-building and culture. Durant fired back on social media, calling out Ishbia publicly — the latest exchange in a simmering post-divorce dispute between player and franchise.

Sports Illustrated has framed Durant's Houston chapter as a potential "fascinating epilogue" to one of the greatest careers in NBA history, with the Rockets building their entire offensive identity around his scoring. That vision, however, comes with turbulence: Durant's name has circulated steadily in trade rumor cycles, with at least one scenario projecting a deal to the Knicks involving a $212 million two-time champion and draft capital. The Rockets' brass hasn't shown strong inclination to move him, but the chatter alone signals the complicated optics of this partnership.

On-court, Durant was held out of the NBA China Games finale against the Mavericks as a precaution, though he appeared with Houston's starting unit — alongside Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Şengün — in the preseason home opener against Oklahoma City. There's even a quiet debate inside league circles about whether Ime Udoka should manage Durant's minutes more aggressively this season to preserve him for a deep playoff run.

Turner Embraces the Post-Giannis Identity

Myles Turner isn't running from the moment. The veteran center signed a four-year, $108 million deal with Milwaukee this summer, stepping into a franchise that has undergone a seismic identity shift following the Giannis Antetokounmpo era. Turner has spoken openly about his evolving role on the Bucks, and first-year head coach Taylor Jenkins is already experimenting with lineups around him.

Enter Kel'el Ware. The 22-year-old 7-footer, acquired from Miami, has given Jenkins reason to test a two-big lineup pairing Ware with Turner. Early preseason returns are described as encouraging but still developing — a pairing that could address the Bucks' post-Giannis frontcourt void if the chemistry solidifies. Two Longhorns anchoring a rebuilding Milwaukee frontcourt is not a storyline anyone had circled entering the offseason.

The Jazz Longhorn Colony

Utah quietly became a Longhorns hub this summer. Mo Bamba is positioned to carve out a legitimate rotation role early in the Jazz's 2026-27 season — notable for a big man whose NBA trajectory has been stop-and-start. Meanwhile, Jaxson Hayes signed a two-year, $12 million deal with Utah after three seasons in Los Angeles, with reporting indicating he's primed for meaningful minutes out of the gate. Hayes and Bamba give the Jazz two Texas-bred centers competing for frontcourt time on a team likely in the early stages of a rebuild.

One More Longhorn on the Bubble

Jericho Sims, now with the Bucks, surfaced in a different kind of drama: Los Angeles Lakers trade talks. Reports from NBA insider Jake Fischer indicated the Lakers engaged Milwaukee about a Dalton Knecht-for-Sims swap to help LA trim roster size before opening night. A subsequent update poured cold water on the deal, with little optimism that it gets completed. Sims remains in Milwaukee for now — but his name being in Lakers conversations underscores just how much movement surrounds this particular Longhorn class entering the new season.

Kevin Durant and the Rockets' Championship Question

Kevin Durant is entering his 19th NBA season at 38 years old, and the noise around him — both positive and complicated — is louder than ever as Houston's 2026-27 campaign takes shape.

On the upside, Rockets GM Rafael Stone has publicly expressed confidence in Durant's fit alongside the team's young core, pointing to Fred VanVleet's return from a season-ending knee injury and the continued development of All-Star Alperen Sengun as reasons for optimism. Rockets legend Ralph Sampson went further, telling Action Network that Durant's unique skill set means he can play "for as long as he wants" — a remarkable endorsement for a player who is already one of the oldest forwards in the league.

Durant himself is feeding the storylines. He drew MVP chants from Chinese fans after scoring 15 points in a preseason win over Dallas, and Cooper Flagg — Dallas's young star — cited Durant as a model for offensive development after facing him in Macao. Durant also pushed back on load management talk, saying playoff injuries he sustained against the Lakers were not something rest could have prevented.

But not everything heading into the season is clean. An NBA insider has publicly blamed Durant for locker room chemistry issues that plagued Houston last season, when the Rockets were upset in the first round by a Luka Dončić-less Lakers squad. The criticism points to a disconnect between Durant and his younger teammates — a friction point Stone and head coach Ime Udoka will need to manage if the Rockets are going to advance deeper in 2027.

There's also the longer-term succession question hanging over the franchise: a Sports Illustrated analysis asks directly whether Durant will still be Houston's best player in 2027, or whether Sengun or Amen Thompson will have taken over the mantle.

Off the court, Durant made headlines discussing Russell Westbrook's retirement, saying he believed his former teammate had "five or six more years left" and admitting the news left him "sad." The moment offered a rare glimpse of sincerity from a superstar more often seen through a competitive lens.

Durant's eyes are already on what comes next — he's also on record saying he wants to suit up for Team USA at the 2028 LA Olympics, his 20th NBA season permitting.

Myles Turner's Future in Milwaukee Is Murky

Fellow Longhorn Myles Turner is generating a different kind of buzz in Milwaukee. According to FanSided, the Bucks are actively weighing trade scenarios involving the veteran center as the franchise looks to accelerate a rebuild. Turner was signed in part to keep Giannis Antetokounmpo happy, but with Milwaukee's direction increasingly uncertain, he may now be flipped as a trade asset to help reshape the roster for the future. Three specific trade proposals have circulated publicly, though no deal has materialized yet.

Turner, a defensive anchor and reliable floor-spacer, profiles as exactly the kind of proven veteran a contender might pursue at the deadline — making his situation one to watch as the season tips off.

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Two Longhorns, two very different crossroads. Durant is chasing a title while managing the weight of being the veteran anchor on a young team; Turner is waiting to learn whether Milwaukee views him as part of the solution or the next chip to cash in.