Thunder fan petitions to have name of Oklahoma town changed from Durant to Westbrook

ByANDREW SMITH
August 25, 2016, 11:20 PM

— -- Oklahoma City Thunder fans were understandably upset when Kevin Durant announced his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors on July 4, going so far as to even burn his jersey.

One fan, though, decided to take even more drastic action this week. Ryan Nazari of Edmond, Oklahoma created a Change.org petition asking for 1,000 online signatures to try to get the city of Durant, Oklahoma, changed to Westbrook, Oklahoma, in honor of guard? Russell Westbrook, who signed a contract extension with the Thunder earlier this month.

In an attempt to muster up support for the cause, Nazari wrote:

"Ladies and gentlemen, the great state of Oklahoma has been betrayed. As many of you know, Kevin Durant has left our state, torn out our hearts, and left our beloved Oklahoma City Thunder in depleted shape. All of this after even being offered a cabinet position for the State of Oklahoma. It is because of this heinous action that I believe the State of Oklahoma has a responsibility to change the name of the City of Durant to Westbrook, the man who is loyal, whom we believe in, and who will lead our team to glory. Yes, it is understood that the city Durant was not named after the evil Kevin Durant, but it is just another hideous reminder of what happened to our community."

Apparently even the sight of Durant's last name is too much for Nazari. According to this article in The Oklahoman, the name of the city is actually pronounced Doo-Rant, unlike the Warriors forward's last name.

As of 10:10 p.m. ET Thursday, the petition was just 45 supporters short of its goal of 1,000.