Kendrick Perkins believes Kevin Durant has dethroned ‘The King’ from his place as the best player in the world.
LeBron James has been unanimously regarded as the best player in the league for quite some time now. Entering the league as a massively hyped high-schooler in 2003, he has exceeded expectations by winning 4 championships with 3 different teams.
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The 4-time MVP is now aged 37, but still going strong. With recently acquired superstar Russell Westbrook, LeBron and Anthony Davis will have their eyes set on winning another championship next season. Can someone even come close to replacing him as the best player in the league?
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Well, it seems Kevin Durant can. Having carried his depleted roster to 7 games against eventual champions Milwaukee Bucks, he is definitely in the conversation. With James Harden and Kyrie Irving returning back from their injuries to start afresh, the Nets are undeniably the prime contenders.
Well, Kendrick Perkins believes the torch has already been passed on. The former champion said LeBron probably didn’t even care for the “best player” title. “We’re talking about a guy that’s going on Year 19. I don’t really know if LeBron James even cares about being the best player in the world anymore, going on at the age of 37, right?”
LeBron James and Kevin Durant have faced each other 3 times in the NBA Finals, with Durant leading the matchup 2-1.
Perk also added, “It’s about time that somebody finally stepped up to the plate and dethrone him because he’s been carrying the torch for so long.” While LeBron dominated KD during his Miami years, the matchup has been in favor of KD since the Warriors formed a superteam in 2016.
It’s also interesting to note that LeBron has had the better overall head-to-head record at 20-15. KD, however, leads the postseason record by 9-5. The rivalry has clearly been pretty close between the two legendary small forwards.
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Both players missed significant time in the regular season last year caused by COVID protocols and slight niggles. It will be interesting to see how the Lakers and Nets fare against each other in the upcoming season, with hopefully healthy rosters.
