For NBA star Kevin Durant, it’s often that he finds himself battling against some of the game’s all-time greatest legends. In a chat with ESPN, Durant explained his approach to those matchups and his mentality to other high-stakes matchups.
“It’s a dog-eat-dog world in the NBA,” said Durant. “Don’t want nobody to take anything that you got. You have to build up that dislike. Not in a bad way but when you’re on the floor, you can’t be friends. You can’t be cool with these guys. You can’t admire them.”
Durant has been with and gone against some of the greatest players ever, so he knows both sides of this conversation. Throughout his career, the 14x All-Star had had to duke it out against fellow athletes like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic (among others). His success has varied over the years, but his passion and ruthless competitive spirit have been in question.
Durant, 36, has always been a pure hooper at heart and he knows more than most players about what it takes to succeed in the NBA. As a 14x All-Star, 4x scoring leader, former MVP, and 2x NBA champion, Durant has done it all and he’s not done yet in his 17th season.
Since 2023, Durant has been the main attraction in Phoenix with averages of 27.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game on 52.6% shooting. And while Durant tends to team up with NBA superstars (like Kyrie Irving, Stephen Curry, and Devin Booker), he’s also frequently required to do battle against them as he did back in November during the in-season tournament.
Unlike many stars today, Kevin finds his motivation by treating the opposition like the enemy. Similar to Kobe Bryant and the “Mamba Mentality,” the Suns star is out to hunt his opponents and he doesn’t hold back against them during game time. Whether it’s LeBron James, Stephen Curry, or any other NBA star, Durant will not discriminate and he will not hold back from giving everything he has.
The results have been pretty good so far for Kevin, who is among the greatest players of the modern generation. And while he may not be on the same level as LeBron and Curry, he’s right there with them as an icon and legend of the game.
Besides his size, skills, and impeccable basketball knowledge, Durant’s relentless motor and unmatched determination have made him a problem for opponents and the Suns have become a major threat in the West under his lead.
But at 14-14 this season, it’s clear that the franchise still has a lot of issues to address and it could take some time before they figure out how to maximize this roster. We know that Durant is doing everything he can and it remains to be seen if it will be enough to get the results they were hoping for.
The next test for Durant and the Suns will be on Christmas Day against the Denver Nuggets at 10:30 PM EST at Footprint Center. On December 27th, they are scheduled for a matchup against the Dallas Mavericks at 9:00 PM EST before hitting the road for a game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center at 8:30 PM EST on December 28th.
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