In the long history of the NBA, there have been many amazing players who have graced the court with their talent. But only a handful of them can be truly considered as the greatest players of all time. The likes of Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant are usually the first names that pop up in someone’s head when discussing that.
But by the time he retires, many believe that Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant will also join this elite company. As of now, KD already has an MVP award, 2 NBA Championships, 2 Finals MVPs, and a lot of accolades under his belt.
Additionally, he is considered one of the best scorers to ever play in the league. Maybe by the time KD hangs his sneakers, he will add a couple of more rings to his resume. But as things stand right now, he is certainly behind James and Kobe in the pecking order.
When it came to Durant’s ceiling, it was none other than Michael Jordan who placed his firm belief in KD when he was getting into the conversation of becoming the best player in the league.
In fact, back in 2013, MJ said that people were so busy picking Kobe and LeBron as the best players in the league that Durant might quietly sneak into that conversation:
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“He’s coming. You talk about these two (LeBron and Kobe) battling who’s the best and Kevin Durant is gonna sneak in the backdoor.”
MJ was initially asked about picking between LeBron and Kobe by Ahmad Rashad, but the Chicago Bulls legend threw Durant’s name into the conversation.
It seems that the respect is mutual between KD and MJ. After all, the Nets superstar believes that Michael Jordan is the GOAT of basketball. But will KD ever reach the level of Kobe, MJ, or LeBron? He has a few years to prove that.
