Kevin Durant’s College Bestie Sums Up ‘Wild 24 Hours’ Feelings After 17 Year Reunion Goes Viral

Kevin Durant got a surprise during Thursday’s Rockets–Clippers game when his college friend Shabana showed up courtside. They hadn’t seen each other in 17 years, and their quick interaction ended up getting a lot of attention online.

Shabana later posted a series of Instagram stories talking about the moment and what it meant to her.

"Was reunited with a college bestie this weekend..." Shabana wrote.

Her next story revealed that the “bestie” was none other than Kevin Durant himself, who looked genuinely surprised to see her courtside.

"Bestie in question ☺️," she expressed.

Shabana also shared a reel that opened with a photo from their college days before cutting to their reunion 17 years later, capturing the full arc of their friendship in one clip.

"ATX to HTX 🤘🏽 🚀," she captioned the post.

She also shared a clip of her enjoying courtside seats, while summing up her "wild 24 Hours."

"It's been a wil 24 hours," she wrote.

Shabana shares images of her reunion with Kevin Durant (Source: Shabana75/IG)

Shabana attended the game in an orange T-shirt featuring an old photo of her and Kevin Durant from their freshman year at Texas. Durant, who rarely shows much reaction on the court, cracked a smile as soon as he recognized her.

Durant arrived at the University of Texas in 2006 and quickly stood out, averaging 25.8 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and 1.3 apg in his only season before moving on to the NBA. With his career taking off so fast, a lot of his college relationships naturally faded as he moved to the next stage of his life.

His return to Texas with the Rockets offered a chance to revisit one of those ties, as he met his college friend again for the first time in 17 years.

Kevin Durant once owed his success to his lone college season with the Texas Longhorns

Kevin Durant is widely regarded as one of the best players in the NBA. However, his journey to the top began with his decision to join the Texas Longhorns instead of a blue-blood program.

In a 2020 interview with DJ Augustin, Durant explained how that decision shaped his career, claiming his lone season at Texas played a major role in his success.

" I had success. Any other school, I don’t think I’d had that success,” Durant said (Timestamp 9:33). “Texas was the perfect spot and only spot I can do that at.”

Durant guided the Longhorns to the second round of the NCAA tournament and earned National Player of the Year honors during his only season in college basketball.