One day prior to Houston’s home opener for the 2025-26 regular season, Kevin Durant mingled with Rockets fans at PJ Tucker’s “The Better Generation” sneaker shop on Washington Avenue. The event was held in conjunction with Topps and Fanatics Collectibles, and it also featured a pair of entertainers in Druski and Bun B.

“First home game, looking forward to it,” Durant told fans and collectors in attendance.

While ripping packs and handing out new 2025-26 Topps Basketball cards, the future Hall of Famer pulled one of himself and signed it on the spot for a fan.

When asked what stood out regarding Houston’s basketball culture, the 15-time NBA All-Star said:

The history of having championship teams and Hall of Fame players come through here and play. They turn the city up, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to be a part of.

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Thursday’s event was organized to celebrate the launch of new cards for the 2025-26 season and Topps becoming the NBA’s licensed trading card provider for the first time since 2009-10. Similar events took place in New York with Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Seth Meyers, and Michael Rubin, along with one in Los Angeles featuring Chris Paul and others.

Additional features at the Houston event included a 3-point contest and NBA 2K tournament for fans, while Bun B cooked and handed out food from Trill Burgers. On-site Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) grading was available for cards and other memorabilia.

The fan 3-point winners walked away with Durant cards including a 2007 Topps Kevin Durant Rookie Card — Gem Mint 10 (numbered out of 1,999). 

The location of the Houston event didn’t come as a surprise.

Durant and Tucker are both products of the University of Texas basketball program, and the Longhorn alumni base surrounding the Rockets and the city is clearly something that appealed to Durant when he leveraged a trade to Houston in the 2025 offseason.

Tucker is a beloved figure in Houston after playing for the Rockets from late 2017 until early 2021, including multiple playoff series versus Durant when the latter was with the Golden State Warriors. But there was always mutual respect between the two, who first met in Austin during their college days.

“I think it’s a testament to true collegate basketball, to be honest,” said Brandon Davis, The Better Generation’s owner and co-founder (with Tucker). “PJ showed KD around campus on his (recruiting) visit. It was a big moment, and I think this shows that the connectivity from a collegiate perspective, and now into the league. For them, it’s a lifelong friendship.”

Tucker is now 40 years old and an NBA free agent, though he has made clear that he’s not planning to retire any time soon. Aside from basketball, he continues to use his platform to build a successful brand, which was on full display during Thursday’s event with Durant.

“It’s one of those things where if you build it, the people will come,” Davis told Rockets Wire. “If you have somebody like him (Durant), people will show up at 2:15 on a freaking Thursday.”

“It’s amazing for us to be able to do it for the city. With KD just now coming into the city and seeing people come around him so quickly, it’s the best feeling.”

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