Kevin Durant wants his jersey hanging in the rafters of his previous two ball clubs, but fans have something else to talk about.
Advertisement
There is a thin line between “the best” and “the greatest”. That comes more into perspective when we talk about how a player did for a franchise rather than how they did in their career.
Let me paint the picture for you. LeBron James could be the best player to wear the Purple and Gold uniform, but far as the greatest Lakers players of all-time go, he’s not even top-3. Kobe Bryant being the undisputed number 1, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in some order, and then Shaquille O’Neal all come before the current Lakers MVP.
Now let’s talk about the subject matter. Kevin Durant believes his jerseys must be retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder as well as the Golden State Warriors.
Kevin Durant wants his jersey retired by OKC and Golden State 👀 pic.twitter.com/Th8i1Qa6HV
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 31, 2022
And fans have obviously started debating whether this should actually happen or not. It obviously should but him starting this conversation won’t help his cause in any way. Neither will it help his cause in the greatest Oklahoman debate.
Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, who is the OKC Thunder GOAT?
The Slim Reaper is the best player ever to play for the OKC Thunder but is he the greatest? NBA Reddit came up with this debate club as soon as KD started his own campaigning before the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.
And the answer would most certainly be a NO. It would be Russell Westbrook. Both individuals won numerous accolades during their time at the ball club, including MVPs, scoring titles, and a conference title.
3 years ago today, Thunder annihilated the Warriors in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the WCF
It would be KD’s last W in a OKC uni pic.twitter.com/8nhFpq87RP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2019
As great as the 4x scoring champ was for the Thunder, his exit from the club to join their bitter rivals in 2016 makes it tough for Oklahomans to think of his jersey retirement. That one honor is much more of a sentimental one as compared to others.
It wouldn’t be fair to not retire KD’s jersey when it’s all said and done, but as far as GOAT in Oklahoma goes, he is not it.