As Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade was celebrated in a recent statue unveiling, he named Kevin Durant as one of the next superstars who should get their own memorial. But in a recent appearance on the ‘Up & Adams’ show, Durant explained why it’s highly unlikely that he will ever receive the honor.
Kay Adams: “I’m worried about you, Kevin. Because I feel like if you just keep playing like this, a statue is undeniable and coming.”
Kevin Durant: “I highly highly doubt I get a statue of me put anywhere for playing basketball, but I appreciate the love and respect people show me.”
Kay Adams: “I see what you’re doing, you don’t want a Dwyane Wade-looking statue.”
Kevin Durant: “See Dwyane Wade is a different case, he is Miami. It’s very few players who get that kind of love in a city like that. It’s usually those guys that got the HOF career, with championships, you been with one city for a long time. That’s not the case for me. But I can see it for a couple of other guys in the league.”
Very few players in NBA history have their own statue outside an arena and it takes a truly exceptional career to even qualify for such a timeless honor. Across basketball history, only the truly great players like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan, and Dirk Nowitzki have been immortalized with a statue and Dwyane Wade joined that exclusive club this week after the Heat unveiled his statue in Miami.
As one of the best players in the modern NBA, Kevin Durant certainly qualifies for his own statue. Over 16 years in the NBA, Durant is averaging 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 50.1% shooting. He’s a 2x champion, former MVP, 14x All-Star, 4x scoring leader, and 2x Finals MVP. Last season, his 16th in the league, Durant averaged 27.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game on 53.3% shooting for the Suns.
But even with Durant’s resume and undeniable superstar status, he may be right about his chances for a statue from his former teams. Unlike Wade, Durant’s career isn’t defined by one single franchise. In fact, with stints over four different teams since 2015, Durant hasn’t really stayed with any team long enough for them to justify erecting a statue in his honor.
Durant’s longest stay, by far, was with the Thunder and it’s where he won his MVP in 2014. But he abandoned the franchise in his prime and left without delivering a championship to the city. Durant was able to win back-to-back championships with the Warriors in 2017 and 2018 but the franchise will surely put up a statue of Stephen Curry before they think about making one after Durant.
With the Nets and Suns, Durant just hasn’t had enough success for them to really think about immortalizing his legacy but it’s not too late to change that. Going into his 17th season, Kevin Durant is still one of the best players in the world and he’s already off to a hot start after four games.
If he wins a championship with the Suns and leads them on a historic run in the West, it’ll give them a reason to commemorate his greatness. If not, Durant will be ready to accept his fate and his legacy on the Suns as non-statue worthy.
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