Kevin Durant’s aspirations since childhood were to emulate LeBron James and look him in the eye as an equal in the NBA.
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The LeBron James vs. Michael Jordan discussion will likely continue indefinitely; however, Kevin Durant believes the entire debate is useless.
In a recent podcast, Durant provided a new perspective on the LeBron vs. MJ controversy.
“It’s not like Jordan is one and you’re two; you’re both something we’ve never seen before,” Durant explained. “Both are one-of-a-kind. Sitting in your own zone of genius.”
“When you see everyone in the same room like that, you wonder why we’re continuously comparing these players as if they’re going to play against each other. For example, MJ will never face LeBron in a game, thus comparing their careers is pointless. It’s exactly what you prefer.”
Durant’s “simply enjoy greatness” attitude to this argument is frequently espoused, but rarely seen in the mainstream media. Kevin Durant is implying that two players can be in different categories without competing against each other.
That’s how he sees the GOAT debate, and it’s possibly the healthiest way to look at it. Durant grew up watching LeBron James enter the NBA as the next Michael Jordan. He has often talked about them and discussed what that meant to him as a young player.
Also, read – Hakeem Olajuwon who charged LeBron James $50,000/week for post-up lessons, never wanted to be a Center
Kevin Durant says he wants to look LeBron James in the eyes as an equal NBA player
Nobody comes close to LeBron and Durant as the best two players in the NBA. Durant has averaged a healthy 27.2 ppg throughout his career. James has also gone and averaged 27.1 ppg, but over the course of 20 seasons!
Their competition is not motivated by hatred, but by circumstance. Durant will have to go through LeBron to win a championship and vice versa. Their separate legacies are inextricably linked.
And you get the impression that they are both aware of it. Durant’s remarks on James indicate his concern about his position in the NBA hierarchy as well as his drive to defeat the man in front of him.
In the 2017 NBA Finals, LeBron and Durant squared off. There was no “changing of the guard” discussion in the post-Finals narrative since LeBron was still regarded as the top dog, which didn’t (and probably still doesn’t) sit well with Durant.
Since Durant was in 9th grade he has been watching LeBron James dominate the NBA. And eventually, see the Lakers superstar enter the GOAT conversation along with Michael Jordan. James was the guy everyone believed would succeed Jordan as the NBA’s poster boy.
Kevin Durant knew as a child that he had to emulate LeBron James in order to become the greatest NBA player of his generation. Durant is still a long way from matching LeBron’s legacy, but the slim reaper will do his best to enter and stay relevant in that conversation.
Also, read – Michael Jordan, who donated $100 million to fight racism, was inspired by his denial in a kids’ swimming pool
