“GREATEST player I’ve ever seen” – Kevin Durant reminisces moment Kobe Bryant won him over
NBA superstar Kevin Durant names and describes Kobe Bryant as the greatest player he's ever seen.
Kevin Durant (L) and Kobe Bryant (R) (image via Biography.com)
The “GOAT” title has been thrown around a lot, with fans and media crowning their respective players as the greatest ever to do it. These players would have opinions and preferences on who deserves this title. NBA superstar named Kevin Durant recently joined in on this conversation. Chipping in with who the greatest player he’s ever seen was.
Durant himself is a highly decorated player, amassing various accolades, including two NBA championships, two Finals MVPs, four scoring titles, and a regular-season MVP. Durant himself could be included in the “GOAT” conversation, but according to him, that title belongs to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
While appearing on an episode of the “Knuckleheads” podcast, Durant explained why he believed Bryant was the greatest he’d ever seen. Reminiscing about Bryant’s monstrous 81-point outing, Durant said, “This is the greatest player I’ve ever seen. I really thought that that night. He’s shooting fades; he’s coming into the lane, stopping on the dime, and giving you two pump fakes right before three seconds.”
Durant added that all the great defenders he had heard of getting attention due to their ability to defend were always outmaneuvered by Bryant. He stated, “They were good defenders; they got paid for playing defense, and Kob was like, Nah, stop playing with me.”
Bryant, in his own right, was a player with an unreal resume, winning five championships with the team that drafted him, and is fourth on the leaderboard for most points ever scored total, with an enormous 33,643 points scored. He also has four MVPs to his name, along with 18 All-Star selections. It is safe to say that Durant’s selection is justified, as most fans would agree with this take, whereas others would side with another NBA legend.
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How was Kobe Bryant as a player?
Kobe Bryant was an elite player of the highest caliber. He was a potent offensive threat and a lockdown defender on the other end of the court. Bryant was drafted 13th overall in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. For the player he eventually became, Bryant’s debut season was nothing special, averaging 7.6 points, 1.3 points, and 1.9 rebounds.
Bryant was always described as having a killer instinct, a drive never to give up and constantly improve. This mindset was dubbed the “Mamba Mentality” and was assigned to Bryant as he eventually developed into the legendary player he was. In his second season, Bryant’s numbers saw a huge spike, averaging 15.4 points a game and earning Bryant his first All-Star selection.
Once Shaquille O’Neal joined Bryant, there was no looking back, as the duo went on to win the NBA championships in 2000, 2001, and 2002. The dynamic duo’s relationship soured after the third championship as Bryant had developed into a superstar, and there were constant fights and clashes of egos over who the team belonged to.
Shortly after Shaq was traded, Bryant developed into the best scorer in the league, averaging over 30 points and winning the MVP award thrice in 2007, 2009, and 2011. Once Pau Gasol was added to the roster in 2008, the duo won back-to-back championships, bringing Bryant’s total number of championships to 5. Bryant won the finals MVP in both of these title runs. Besides this, over his career, Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, and a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team.
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Ankush Singh
(616 Articles Published)