An OKC store sold Kevin Durant jerseys at a 99 percent discount
Oklahoma City Thunder fans have understandably taken the departure of Kevin Durant quite hard. He is the greatest player in the eight-season history of the team and one of the league’s two or three best players, the sort of superstar who teams go to great lengths to keep or obtain. While the claims regarding his traitorous nature and/or lack of competitive fire are overblown, the anger is understandable. Fans feel a connection to their teams and the players on them, and when that bond is broken it hurts.
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The aftermath of such a decision can include wide-ranging effects. For instance, local businesses will have to cut prices on player-specific merchandise. Yet few would expect this 99 percent price cut on Durant jerseys:
Oklahoma City store discounts Thunder Durant jerseys to 99% off https://t.co/2hoflwYAms pic.twitter.com/rRBOq9gHKS
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 22, 2016
ESPN’s Rovell investigated the matter in an article, as well:
The jerseys, rendered less desirable by Durant’s signing with the Golden State Warriors earlier this month, were hanging on a rack this week at an Academy Sports+Outdoors store in town with a sign advertising them for 48 cents. The replica jersey normally sells for $69.99.
No matter how much disdain the community might have for Durant, the jerseys did eventually sell out. […]
Academy spokeswoman Elise Hasbrook said the sale was a little unusual in that it was more steeply discounted than normal. She also noted that there were other Durant items in the store that were on a normal discounting, typical of an item that needs to sell out over time.
Rovell was also alerted to a similar everything-must-go promotion for Durant merchandise, but this one at least required people to buy something else:
Another Durant liquidation sale offer in OKC (via @BrookingKeith) pic.twitter.com/UNCbyMgKT0
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 22, 2016
Academy’s discount on other Durant items suggests that they didn’t just cut the jerseys severely to prove a point. This isn’t like when Dan Gilbert cut the price of LeBron James Fatheads to Benedict Arnold’s birth year when he left the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010. Still, the store probably could have donated the jerseys to charity and recouped more money than they did via the 48-cent sale, so bad blood must have had something to do with it.
Whatever the case, a bunch of Oklahoma residents either got a terrific discount on an item they actually wanted or a perfect lump of coal for next Christmas. Who said thoughtful gifts have to be nice, too.
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Eric Freeman is a writer for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
