“I have to look LeBron James in the eye”: Kevin Durant revealed his perception of the King as a teenager
Kevin Durant spoke about the time he chose LeBron James as his rival way before entering the league.
Kevin Durant doesn’t say much to the media-he loves leaving it all on Twitter though. But when he does speak to the press, he does have some good quips. In a clip, he speaks about how he watched every sports column hype a rookie LeBron James, and at that moment, he decided to make him his rival.
Durant has managed to do it for someone who was just a teenager. For someone in the 9th grade, Durant had lofty expectations. The duo has had some scintillating battles over the years, and until Durant slithered out of OKC, he was humbled by the King.
Those years were tough on Oklahoma, because even after having the talents of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook (yes, there was a time he was loved and was a beast), and a young James Harden, they did not achieve much. akin to what the Clippers are right now.
Kevin Durant vs. LeBron James was not even a match-up until the infamous switch to GSW
The Oklahoma City Thunder of the previous decade was the New York Knicks of the east. They had such a great team on paper, but they could not do much. If you are a cricket fan, you could say they are the “South Africa” of the basketball world. If you are a soccer fan, Belgium. Loaded but outstanding underachievers.
Not even the likes of Kevin Durant could do anything. Bron ran the show. Durant knows what blowing a 3-1 lead tastes like, despite not playing on the Golden State team. It was the loss in the Western Conference finals that pushed him to relocate to the Bay Area and realize his full potential.
Also Read: Skip Bayless Praises Grizzlies 3-point Shooting to Ridicule LeBron James and Lakers
KD has arguably been the more effective guy for his team in the last couple of seasons
Despite all his réalisations incroyables on an individual scale, LeBron James is arguably less effective than KD. The Slim Reaper spent a considerable amount of time on the treatment table, but when he returned, he looked like a fish in water. The Brooklyn man powered through to take his team deeper into the playoffs compared to Bron.
James has been struggling to put a team together that is cohesive enough to win games, let alone championships. They’ve now played four times as many games as they have won in the last 45 they’ve played. That is G-league form, in whichever world you want to consider.
Durant hasn’t hit MVP form yet, but whenever he’s played, he’s looked rock solid. The golden boy of the upcoming draft, Victor Wembenyama, looks to be a taller, skinnier, French version of the Reaper, and even Durant is wary.
There is a noticeable shift in NBA player build, and more and more Kevin Durant regens are entering the draft. Gone are the days of the muscle men; it’s time for the beanpoles.
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