There haven’t been many players as gifted and dominant as Kevin Durant. Hands down, he may be the most unique player in the history of basketball, a guard ‘trapped’ in the body of a big man, and one of the most underrated defenders of all time.
However, it’s kind of strange that most people don’t seem to bring up his name in the GOAT conversation, perhaps because he’s ‘only’ won 2 NBA Championships, perhaps because he teamed up with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, or perhaps because people just don’t like him like that. Then again, Durant was the best player in the world – or top-3 at worst – for at least two years.
Still, when Stephen A. Smith asked him whether he thought he was the best player on earth, Durant was simply humbled and claimed that he doesn’t care about that kind of stuff anymore:
“I don’t even look at stuff like that no more. (I stopped) a few years back. ‘Cause I respect all these players and I’m not trying to be better than anyone. I’m just trying to be the best version of myself,” Durant said back in 2019 in ESPN’s First Take.
"I'm not trying to be better than anyone. I'm just trying to be the best version of myself."
–KD on if he considers himself the best player in the world pic.twitter.com/S9uHrnweZT
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 31, 2019
Whether that’s the truth or not is yet to be seen, as Durant has a reputation for having a fragile ego and not accepting criticism or any kind of shade. But if that’s true, that’s definitely the kind of mindset every single superstar should have.
At the end of the day, being the best player ever is just a subjective distinction that may not even transcend in time, and all they can do is trying to improve themselves every day to at least cement their legacy as one of the best to ever do it.
