Kevin Durant Reportedly Hired Extra Security for Return to Oklahoma City

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant hired additional security for his return to Oklahoma City, where he'll take on the Thunder for the first time Saturday evening after leaving in free agency.

Chris Haynes of ESPN reported the overall security detail will be triple what the Warriors usually travel with. In addition, Durant's business manager, Rich Kleiman, will sit next to Durant's mother, Wanda Durant, throughout the game.

Teammate Draymond Green shared a Snapchat video of an extra security guard, via Sports Illustrated: 

The 28-year-old Washington, D.C., native was the most coveted player available last summer. He opted to join a superteam by pairing up with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green with the Warriors rather than return to OKC alongside Russell Westbrook.

Unsurprisingly, fans in OKC weren't happy, similar to Cleveland Cavaliers fans when LeBron James left for the Miami Heat in 2010. James eventually returned to northeast Ohio and brought a championship to Cleveland.

Durant told Marc Stein of ESPN.com on Tuesday he was prepared for the negative reaction, but he also hoped to make a connection with those who cheered for him for so long.

"I know they're going to be rowdy in there, man," he said. "I've been a part of some of the loudest nights in that arena. So I know it's not going to be the friendliest welcome, but, like I said, I can't wait to see the people that I really built relationships with over my time there and, you know, I'm sure fans that I got to know throughout my time playing there, even though they might not cheer for me out loud, I'll give 'em a wink and they know what we had deep down inside."

Durant added: "I know what's important [to Thunder fans], and their team is way more important than just one player. ... I'm not going in there acting like I'm going to be praised; I know how it's going to be."

Meanwhile, his mother was surprised by the extreme response by some fans after Durant announced his choice to join Golden State in July. Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman passed along comments she gave to Sportscenter's Michael Smith and Jemele Hill about the situation and attending Saturday's game.

"Well, I wasn't prepared for the reaction. I knew that people would be disappointed when he left. But I cried at some of the things that I had read on my social media," Wanda Durant said. "And it's going to hurt a little bit because I know how much he loves Oklahoma City, how much he cares about the organization and the team and some of his former teammates. And so it's going to be hard, but I'm going to be there with him to support him. So we're going to get through it, though."

While players are well-protected on the court in these situations, family members sitting in the stands are often the target of ridicule. Hopefully that's not the case for Durant's mother, who became a beloved figure after her son's memorable "Real MVP" speech in 2014.