On Sunday, the Phoenix Suns visited the Oklahoma City Thunder, which marked Kevin Durant’s return to the town by which he spent a lot of his NBA profession and made his title in.
It additionally offered Durant a chance to realize some restricted however helpful reps along with his new teammates.
He has missed the vast majority of his time with Phoenix since being traded there in early February as a result of a sprained MCL and a sprained ankle.
However this contest can also be notable for a complicated transfer the Thunder franchise made.
It reserved an empty, unoccupied seat in honor of Suns head coach Monty Williams’ spouse, who handed away in 2016.
The OKC Thunder reserved an empty seat unoccupied for tonight’s sport in honor of Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams’ late spouse who handed in 2016.
It could have been Ingrid Williams’ birthday right this moment.
The seat was the place Monty would sit in when he was their assistant coach in… pic.twitter.com/joAQo8iPhC
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) April 2, 2023
Sunday would’ve been Ingrid Williams’ birthday, and it was a beautiful gesture by the Thunder.
“In the present day would’ve been my spouse’s birthday. They honored my spouse by not permitting anyone to take a seat in her seats. Once I discovered, it actually messed me up”
Suns coach Monty Williams thanked the Thunder group for honoring his late spouse.
(through @DuaneRankin)pic.twitter.com/b7R4uwBGVb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) April 2, 2023
Followers on Twitter had been touched by the transfer.
Monty is an efficient man , and that was 👏🏼👏🏼 superior by the thunder
— Michael Younger (@MagicMike1897) April 2, 2023
Monty Williams is a job mannequin.
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) April 2, 2023
Extraordinarily elegant, from their hearts. Thanks OKC 🙏
— Diaspora2022 (@Diaspora2022_) April 2, 2023
Monty Williams is nice for the soul and good for basketball
— Tim Matus (@TimMatus12) April 3, 2023
Williams isn’t only a positive coach, however he has gained a fame round professional basketball for additionally being an honorable man.
Earlier than taking up because the Suns’ head coach for the 2019-20 season, he spent a 12 months in Oklahoma Metropolis as an affiliate head coach alongside Billy Donovan in Durant’s final marketing campaign there.
That season, the Thunder made it to the Western Convention Finals and opened up a 3-1 sequence lead over the 73-win Golden State Warriors, solely to be eradicated by the defending NBA champs in seven video games.
With Phoenix, Williams reached the NBA Finals in 2021, and with the 2014 league MVP on board and a few excessive parity all through the West, he has an actual shot at repeating that feat this summer season.
NEXT:
Fans In Oklahoma City Were Not Happy With Kevin Durant Sunday
