On Sunday, the Phoenix Suns visited the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder, which marked Kevin Durant’s return to town wherein he spent a lot of his NBA profession and made his identify in.

It additionally supplied Durant a chance to realize some restricted however precious reps together with his new teammates.

He has missed the vast majority of his time with Phoenix since being traded there in early February attributable to a sprained MCL and a sprained ankle.

However this contest can 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 might have been Ingrid Williams’ birthday at the 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.

“At present would’ve been my spouse’s birthday. They honored my spouse by not permitting anyone to sit down in her seats. Once I came upon, 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 have been touched by the transfer.

Monty is an effective 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 sweet for the soul and good for basketball

— Tim Matus (@TimMatus12) April 3, 2023

Williams isn’t only a effective 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 time.

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Followers In Oklahoma Metropolis Had been Not Completely happy With Kevin Durant Sunday