NBA legend and three-time champion James Worthy was asked if he thinks Kevin Durant name belongs in the GOAT conversation, a sentiment the former Lakers forward wholeheartedly agreed with while appearing at the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala in late-August.
“I do. I’ve loved him since Texas. If I’m choosing somebody, he might be… You know, Steph shoots the three, but Durant is cold-blooded at his height. And I think because there’s so much attention on other players right now… He hasn’t been forgotten about, but he’s just been schmoozing along and he still can put up numbers.
“I just love his range, the way he can move out to the three, you can’t stop him in the mid-range game, he’s a pretty good defensive player, and he doesn’t get talked enough about. If you’re talking like top seven guys who can be the greatest of all time, he’s in there in my opinion. He’s just a phenomenal player.”
Realistically, even a title with the Phoenix Suns won’t put Durant in the GOAT conversations. He might be in conversations as one of the ten greatest players of all time, but the top of the GOAT conversation seems out of reach for the 36-year-old.
Durant’s had a phenomenal career, winning two titles, two Finals MVP, one league MVP, and four scoring titles. He’s an 11-time All-NBA selection and 14-time All-Star selection, proving to the world that he’s arguably the most versatile scorer to have ever stepped onto a basketball court.
Kevin Durant’s Legacy As The GOAT Is Unconvincing
The GOAT conversation seems to be a three-horse race with Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, though James and Kareem are widely perceived to be behind Jordan. LeBron’s argument is becoming stronger every season and Kareem’s accomplishments are video-game-like.
Durant’s two titles and Finals MVPs with a team that went 73-9 without him can’t compare to what the three names atop the GOAT conversation have achieved. It’s further devalued by the fact that the Warriors won a title before he joined as well as after he joined, so realistically we won’t see anyone bring Durant up as a legitimate option as the GOAT.
If we talk purely about scoring ability, taking Durant as the greatest is a far more realistic conversation. Even though Jordan won 10 scoring titles, the most in NBA history, everyone can see the limitless versatility Durant brings to the offensive end of the floor. He’s an effortless three-level scorer who’s probably not put up more gaudy statistics over his career because he’s also one of the league’s most efficient scorers.
Nobody can doubt Durant’s scoring ability and the fact that he’s one of the three best players of the last decade, but it’s hard to definitively say that Durant is even better than players like Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, or even Stephen Curry when it comes to evaluating GOATs.
He’s still active, so winning two titles in Phoenix to bring him to the four that both LeBron and Steph have won would make his case for the top of the GOAT pyramid more convincing.
He’s averaged 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists over his 17-year NBA career so far.
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