“Before he tore his Achilles you couldn’t do anything with Kobe Bryant”: Kevin Durant talks about Lakers legend being unguardable until his 17th year in the league

Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant had mutual respect which made them both go out of their way to praise each other in public.

Since his retirement, Kobe Bryant was openly singing the praise of how good he found Kevin Durant to be, hinting that the Slim Reaper is the best player in the league. And KD returned the favor by calling The Mamba only his 1B to Michael Jordan’s 1A in the all-time category.

Many experts and former players discredit Kobe while considering even their top-5s when the Lakers’ legend has a resume to challenge anyone for the GOAT debate. Maybe they do it to get their controversial take some hit, but Durant never lets anybody disrespect Bryant in his presence.

Also read: “Kobe Bryant’s spirit was definitely in the building tonight!”: Kyrie Irving talks about his Mamba inspired outfit after dropping a spirited performance

The mutual respect between the two greats before Kobe’s demise was rare because we rarely see anybody getting praise from the two, who was also famous for being mean and talking trash all the time.

Since Kobe’s heart-wrecking accident KD has talked about him more often than he ever did. He did that again when he came to JJ Redick’s podcast recently.

Kevin Durant talks about Kobe Bryant being unguardable until his Achilles injury

On his recent appearance on The Old Man and The Three, Durant talked about the time he came into the league and found out it was still no stopping Kobe Bryant in his 12th year in the league or his 17th.

“There was a time period, like between 2008 and 2013 (bfr he tore his Achilles) that you couldn’t do anything with Kobe. Like there was no defense you could play to stop him. It’s like extra help or flat out double.” Kevin Durant

JJ Redick “yup.”

This was post prime Bean. FYI

— QuestFor18 (@HisandHerLakers) April 7, 2022

Hearing that from a 4x scoring champ and 2x NBA champion should be enough proof for anyone having doubt over Bryant’s legacy. The man could do it all on any given night and would be ready to do better the next morning.

His work ethic exceeds if not equals any GOAT from any sport, and his greatness could eclipse anybody who’s ever dribbled a basketball. He might not have been an ultimate teammate but was the ultimate guy on the court against any opponent.

Also read: “How Vanessa Bryant caused a rift between Kobe Bryant and his dad”: The story behind the infamous picture of the Lakers legend sulking with the Larry O’Brian trophy

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

Read More