Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant are recognized as two of the greatest forwards of their generation. Their impact on the court and pure scoring ability has given them plenty of accolades over their respective careers. Giannis Antetokounmpo has played in 9 seasons, going onto his 10th season, while The Slim Reaper has completed 14 seasons over his career so far. At age 34, Kevin will be entering his 15th season, which is truly amazing to consider because he plays as if he is at least 5 years younger. Since both stars have stepped foot on the NBA court, their impact has truly been impressive to watch, and they are ranked among the best at their positions. Unsurprisingly, both players have been nominated to the NBA 75th Anniversary Teams and are regarded as two of the top-ten forwards of all time.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, as things stand, is considered the greatest two-way player in the game right now. His ability to beat defenders off the dribble and get to the rim makes him an unguardable force, which attracts double and triple-teams as soon as he is in a position to score inside. Defensively, The Greek Freak can defend all five positions and even won a Defensive Player of the Year award. Giannis can also score inside the post, and his post fadeaway jumper is becoming more consistent when defended in one-on-one situations.
Meanwhile, Durant has won an incredible 4 scoring titles and holds the 4th highest career PPG average at 27.2 PPG. Durant is unlike any player we have ever seen because at 6’10”, he is able to get anywhere he wants to get on the floor with speed and quickness and can shoot over any defender. He also has an accurate mid-range shot and can also hit threes at an all-time great level. Even when attacking the rim, Durant can finish among the trees and has the explosiveness and length to finish inside or draw fouls. At the line, Kevin is shooting a career 88.4%.
Clearly, both Giannis and Durant are dominant players with some impressive accolades to their names. In order to distinguish between the Hall of Fame-caliber forwards, it is time to compare the careers of both players by their most significant achievements to get an indication of which one had the better all-time career.
Championships
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1
Kevin Durant: 2
Whenever a debate takes place between two Hall of Fame players, NBA championships are often the first thing that comes up. After all, winning is what matters most, and the greatest player of all time must be a winner of the highest order. Both players do have an NBA title to their names, although Durant has the edge due to the fact he played for the Golden State Warriors.
Giannis Antetokounmpo only played in the NBA Finals once, and it came in 2021 when he was the best player in the series for the Milwaukee Bucks against the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately for the Suns, Giannis was unstoppable as he averaged 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.0 APG, including a 50-point outing in a closeout Game 6. The Greek Freak was defended mainly in one-on-one positions, as Deandre Ayton could not handle the athleticism of Giannis. He ended up winning the title and Finals MVP in dominating fashion.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant made the Finals three times, and he managed to have three fantastic series against the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers twice. Durant actually won two out of three Finals appearances, and they came in 2017 and 2018. Kevin could not get the job done against the Heat in 2012, mainly because he was so young and not ready to win against LeBron James. But in 2017 and 2018, Durant had too much help by his side, and LeBron’s Cavaliers had no shot. In terms of championships, Durant edges Giannis thanks to his back-to-back titles.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
Finals MVP Awards
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 1
Kevin Durant: 2
Giannis Antetokounmpo has won a Finals MVP award once, as he made the most of his chance to win it as a member of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Giannis was the best player on the Bucks teams that consistently made the playoffs, as he carried the team on both ends of the floor. Fortunately for Giannis and the Bucks, they usurped the Phoenix Suns in the Finals with the Greek superstar winning the Finals MVP award by posting an incredible stat line of 35.2 PPG, 13.2 RPG, and 5.0 APG.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant won two NBA championships and never managed to win two Finals MVP awards. It was obvious that Kevin Durant deserved both accolades because as he came up against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Finals; he put up ridiculous numbers. In 2017, Durant posted 35.2 PPG, 8.2 RPG, and 5.4 APG for the Warriors alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. Durant was unstoppable as his scoring and all-around play were off-the-charts. In 2018, Kevin averaged 28.8 PPG, 10.8 RPG, and 7.5 APG for the Warriors in a dominating sweep against LeBron and the Cavaliers. Again, Durant has the edge over Giannis in terms of Finals accolades.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
MVP Awards
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 2 (2019, 2020)
Kevin Durant: 1 (2014)
The MVP Award is also another major achievement that comes up in debates between star players. The MVP award shows who the best player is throughout an entire regular season, and in the case of most players throughout NBA history, it shows how many times they were the best player in the league. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the undisputed best player in the league in 2019 and 2020, winning the MVP awards after posting strong numbers on both ends of the floor. In 2019, Giannis averaged 27.7 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 1.5 BPG while winning 60 games with the Milwaukee Bucks. No doubt, The Greek Freak proved himself to be one of the best players of his generation and his MVP award was a testament to his greatness at the time. A year later, in 2020, Giannis posted 29.5 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG to win his second-straight MVP award.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant won an MVP award, and it came in 2014 when he posted 32.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, 1.3 SPG, and 0.7 BPG while winning his fourth title and leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the second-best record in the NBA. Durant had a very solid team at the time, as he had a dominant Russell Westbrook by his side. No doubt, Durant’s 2014 MVP season is considered one of the best in recent memory, but he only managed one MVP award and does not have an edge over The Greek Freak.
Advantage: Giannis Antetokounmpo
All-NBA Teams
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 6 (4 First Team, 2 Third Team)
Kevin Durant: 10 (6 First Team, 4 Second Team)
Giannis Antetokounmpo has played 9 seasons and made the All-NBA Team 6 times, something impressive for a forward who shared an era with other elite forwards, including Durant himself. Giannis has been a bona fide superstar for most of his career and has been inarguably the best power forward in the game for the last few years. But so far, over his career, Giannis can be proud of the fact he has 6 First Team appearances, which isn’t easy to accomplish in a stacked league.
Kevin Durant made has made a whopping 10 All-NBA Teams, with 6 of them coming as a member of the First Team. An elite scorer and dominant player as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors, Durant has unstoppable offensive ability, and even during somewhat “down years”, he made the All-NBA Second Team on multiple occasions. Other than LeBron James, there hasn’t been a more dominant player at the small forward position than Kevin Durant.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
All-Star Selections
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 6
Kevin Durant: 12
Giannis Antetokounmpo is a 6-time All-Star, and he made 6 straight All-Star Teams starting in his fourth season and has not missed a team yet. The superstar forward has averaged 27.3 PPG, 11.1 RPG, and 5.5 APG over those 6 years in which he made the All-Star Team. Overall, Giannis has been a consistent All-Star presence because of his elite scoring ability from the inside and around the rim along with his superstar defensive presence. The Greek Freak has not slowed down at all, meaning he could have another 6 All-Star Teams coming as he is only 27 years old.
Kevin Durant has made 12 All-Star Teams over his legendary career, making 12 in a row starting in his third season, excluding the 2020 season in which the player was injured. Durant has been a stalwart in the All-Star Team over his career, not only due to his star offensive ability but also due to his incredible impact in clutch situations. The Slim Reaper has always been able to receive a large number of votes because he has been a top-5 player in the world since he won his first MVP award. But overall, mainly due to the fact that Kevin played 5 more seasons than Giannis, he currently has an edge over Giannis Antetokounmpo in All-Star appearances.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
All-Defensive NBA Teams
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 5 (4 First Team, 1 Second Team)
Kevin Durant: 0
There is no doubt that The Greek Freak is considered an elite defensive stopper because he has the versatility to dominate all five positions. Giannis Antetokounmpo, particularly, is often praised for his elite defense because his size and length at 6’11” and 242 lbs make him an imposing figure on the court. Not to mention, Giannis has elite speed and athleticism, which he can use to defend other guards and smaller players on the perimeter. So far in his career, The Greek Freak is averaging 1.2 SPG, which shows he can at least play the passing lanes very well. Of course, he won the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.
Durant is not always considered an elite defensive stopper, but he has a very high basketball IQ and can handle opposing players at a consistent level. Kevin Durant has been solid at stealing the ball, averaging 1.1 SPG over his career, and even has an average of 1.1 BPG mainly due to his tremendous height and length. The forward has not made a single All-Defensive Team, which is surprising because he possibly could have made at least one appearance considering he once averaged 1.8 SPG and 0.7 SPG in the same season (2017-18). But as good as Durant is at defense at times, he is no Giannis Antetokounmpo and the All-Defensive Team selections are proof of that.
Advantage: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Total Win Shares
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 87.5
Kevin Durant: 155.2
Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, it is obvious that Giannis Antetokounmpo does not have a better rating than Kevin Durant. The future Hall of Fame forward is always a threat when he is around the rim, and his ability to attack the rim and score inside helps his team win a ton of games for the Milwaukee Bucks. Of course, Giannis has been the number-one option for most of his career, and his stats have benefitted from that.
This advanced statistic shows that Kevin Durant, surprisingly, is much more responsible for his team’s victories than Giannis is. While that narrative can be argued depending on their teammates and all-around talent in the league, Durant has the advantage over Giannis in this category. Durant has played on many great teams over his career, unlike Giannis who has only been on championship teams over the past 3 seasons at the most. But the edge still goes to the 4-time scoring champion nonetheless, and it is by quite a significant margin.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
Career Player Efficiency Rating
Giannis Antetokounmpo: 24.5
Kevin Durant: 25.3
Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger that’s goal is to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ranks 15th all-time in PER, with a figure of 24.5. That is still a strong rating considering there have not been many NBA players with PER ratings of at least 24. For a power forward with almost unlimited impact in terms of using size to do multiple things on the court, Giannis’s PER is quite strong when compared to other superstars in his same position all time. Giannis’s PER rating is truly impressive because he dominates both ends of the floor, including scoring at a high rate inside the post and also rebounding the basketball.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant ranks 9th all-time in PER, with a solid score of 25.3. Durant’s ability to score the ball boosts his PER rating because he never needs to take a ton of shots to get into his rhythm. The Slim Reaper is also solid at getting assists and rebounding the ball, which also boosts his PER rating. But overall, Durant is slightly more dominant than Giannis when it comes to accumulating statistics because his incredible efficiency as a scorer is true of legendary status.
Advantage: Kevin Durant
Final Score
Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Kevin Durant 2-6
This was not a very close career comparison because both players are exceptional players with impactful playing styles. But in terms of advanced statistics and all-around accolades, Kevin Durant has to be one of the best of all time.
Armed with some of the best ball-handling and shooting skills ever, Durant has been able to generate an incredible number of points as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Golden State Warriors, and Brooklyn Nets. Clearly, advanced statistics favor Durant as a result of all of these factors. Not to mention, playing alongside top stars, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Russell Westbrook, and Draymond over his career certainly helps. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant had an all-time great career and is regarded as a top-20 player of all time.
Durant also has the edge in longevity achievements, including All-Star Team selections and All-NBA selections. For those who have watched Durant, it is clear the superstar is one of the most skilled offensive players to ever play the game. Durant has won an incredible 4 scoring titles and had seasons averaging 32.0 PPG, 30.1 PPG, 29.9 PPG, and 28.2 PPG. Joining the Golden State Warriors has helped Durant’s resume because he gains a big edge in championships and Finals MVP awards over Giannis while also boosting his advanced statistics as well.
Giannis Antetokounmpo has only two advantages over Kevin Durant and it came to defensive accolades (All-Defensive Teams) and also in MVP awards (2 v. 1). The Greek Freak earns the advantages in these comparisons so far because of his incredible dominance during his prime and his luck of being the first option on a good team in the major part of his career. There is no doubt that Giannis is better defensively, and that also helped his MVP case in 2020. But in the end, Durant has a big advantage over Giannis and that will likely remain the case until The Greek Freak maintains his level of play and completes another 6 or 7 years as the best player in the game.
