The comparisons between LeBron James and Kevin Durant have been around for quite some time now. They’ve been the best two players in the NBA for a while, which means people will often pit them against each other to try to define who rules the NBA. It’s fair to say that even during his best years of winning championships, LeBron James still had an advantage over Durant.
This has been a big debate among their fans, but it seems like James is winning now. Whenever we talk about the best player of this generation, these two are always mentioned, and many people agree with that. However, KD’s offensive prowess is not enough to be considered better than James.
During a recent interview with VladTV, Iman Shumpert talked about the best players he shared the court with. While he picked LeBron as the best overall player he played with, he mentioned that Kevin Durant is the most talented offensive player he faced in the association (1:29).
“LeBron. And now, when I pick greats, and I do my list of who’s better, I usually have this thing, I tell you, once you get to the top of the top, you’re really just picking in your opinion. It’s really you in your opinion and what you like to see. As far as somebody that can do everything, every statistic that you have, he can do. And if you really go back and look at it, you can say he can’t shoot and do that, and then you look at actual numbers, and your argument is not so supported. I go back and look at clutch moments, and the most things you can say about dude is that, in the clutch, he’s folded a few times, but he puts himself in enough positions to correct that later on. The most skilled offensive player I’ve had to deal with? Cool, Kevin Durant. I’ve never got a rebound, came down– You got an issue if Bron really wants to guard you. Like if he wants to go all out for a possession, you got a real issue on your hands. He can literally do everything, he can guard your center, he can guard your point guard, he can deal with one through five, he can play one through five, he’s gonna know where everybody is on the court, he’s gonna know every coach’s scheme…”
Shumpert broke down how impactful LeBron can be in a game and all the tools he has to fix a bad situation, to call plays before they even happen and more. James has always been that player, but with age and maturity, his game has reached the next level. Right now, he’s at least a top 2 player of all time, and his longevity could take him to be the undisputed GOAT when it’s all said and done.
LeBron exceeded expectations and became a huge legend of the league. Shumpert isn’t the first one that calls him the best player he’s played with, and he surely won’t be the last one.
