Michael Jordan inspired a lot of players during his best days, displaying an incredible game on the court, becoming the greatest basketball player of all time and one of the most iconic athletes in the history of sports.
Mike’s legend is huge right now, as he’s widely considered the GOAT of his sport. He was a killer on the court and didn’t hesitate to destroy rivals on his way to winning six NBA championships. Jordan was bigger than the game, even becoming a huge figure in the sneaker world.
During his best days, everybody wanted to be like Mike, including one of the best players of this generation. Kevin Durant is now considered one of the greatest scorers in league history, thanks to his unbelievable talent to handle and shoot the ball. KD recently revealed Jordan was his inspiration and the person who made him watch basketball.
During a recent episode of Book of Basketball 2.0, Durant praised His Airness, revealing how Jordan’s presence during his active days made him watch basketball for the first time (29:40).
“Yeah, it was huge. His popularity was huge. You know, the shoes, the commercials, all that stuff was huge. But more so than anything, how he played made me feel a certain way – like, you know, made me want to watch the game.”
Just like KD, many other players were inspired by the Chicago Bulls legend. Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and others revealed that Jordan played a big role in their decisions to become basketball players.
Jordan’s influence is huge even nowadays, almost 20 years after he retired for the third and final time from the game. Mike did a lot for the NBA, not only taking the competition to new grounds but inspiring the players that continued his legacy and made the league what it is today. It’ll be hard to see another icon like Michael Jordan.
