The relationship between Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has been under scrutiny for a few years now, but Durant maintains the two remain close on and off the court, despite some occassional issues.
"There's times where we go at it," Durant said via ESPN . "There's times I don't like what he's doing out on the court. There's times where he hates what I'm doing out on the court. There's times where it's 'Russ, you gotta control your attitude,' or 'KD, you gotta stop, you gotta speak up,' whatever.
"There's times we cuss each other out, but that's a part of being brothers. Because I know if I need something, he'll be there and if I need to talk to someone outside of basketball, he'll be there. It's a real brotherhood-type relationship. We're like family."
With Durant's impending free agency , many people question whether he will want to share the spotlight with Westbrook and sign a long-term deal to stay in Oklahoma City.
Even though Westbrook has averaged more shot attempts per game than Durant over the past three-plus seasons, the four-time scoring champion insists shot selection has not affected his friendship with Westbrook.
"How can you tell? That's my whole question," Durant said. "What are you basing that off of? Because he shoots more than I do one game? That don't make no sense. We don't like each other because he shot more? That don't make no sense.
"And it's really disrespectful to me or to us because you think I'm that selfish of a person. I don't like this guy because he shoots more than me? That's disrespectful to me. Because if I'm a friend, I'm genuine. I'm there, no matter what. Good days, bad days, more shots. I'm a real friend."
Durant, 27, may be more inclined to continue this relationship if the Thunder can stay healthy and make some noise in the playoffs. As of Nov. 20, OKC (7-6) is sixth in the Western Conference.