“Kevin Durant is the one I retired without really being able to figure out”: When Kobe Bryant revealed his toughest player to guard
Kobe Bryant is widely known for his offensive skill, but he was a monster on defense too. There was one player that had his number though: Kevin Durant.
There were many players who felt like Kobe was probably their toughest guard and ever, and while the ‘Black Mamba’ has a whole list of offensive legends who he’s guarded, Kevin Durant still ranks at the top.
Just to name a few of the players who Kobe has gone against, Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady, LeBron James, and so much more, and yet KD still stands at the top.
Kobe interviewed with The Corp With A-Rod and Big Cat in 2018, and he explained why Durant’s development made him such an impossible player for him to figure out.
2010 WCFR Game 1 vs OKC
Kobe’s block on Kevin Durant: pic.twitter.com/9H4JhA0ueq
— KobeFiles (@KobesFiles) April 19, 2022
Kobe Bryant explained what made Kevin Durant so hard to guard
Kevin Durant is widely considered as one of the greatest offensive talents of all time. His 7-foot fram combined with his slick handles and accurate shooting makes him one of the most unique players to have played the game.
Durant has had some of the best scoring seasons in NBA history, and more than that, it’s his efficiency that makes him so good. 25 points on 9/12 shooting is something you can regularly expect from KD.
When Kobe talked about what made Durant so special, he made sure to mention how he developed his game such that he maximized his body frame.
“Kevin Durant. That was the one that I retired without really being able to figure out what it is– how I can stop him. When he first came into the league, he was easy to defend because he couldn’t go right and shoot. He shot kinda across his face so that was a weakness that he had.”
“Also, in the post, he couldn’t turn left shoulder, everything was right shoulder so that gave me areas that I could shut off.”
“Right then, he started developing so I developed it and now he can pull up left, he can pull upright, he can shoot the long ball, he has runners, left hand, right hand.”
“Before he had a left-hand finish at the rim, I could always send him left, force him all the way to the basket, even with the advantages of besides, he was still uncomfortable finishing with his left so I could clamp the right hand, and now forced him into a tough situation.
“But now he’s developed that so I retired not being able to figure him out.”
You can see the full interview here:
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