“Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, who is the franchise GOAT for the OKC Thunder?”: NBA Reddit opens up a debate club as the Slim Reaper asks for his own jersey retirement

Akash Murty | 01/04/2022
"Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, who is the franchise GOAT for the OKC Thunder?": NBA Reddit opens up a debate club as the Slim Reaper asks for his own jersey retirement

Kevin Durant wants his jersey hanging in the rafters of his previous two ball clubs, but fans have something else to talk about.

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.

Also read: “We can’t draft you Kobe Bryant! People will think we’re a joke!”: When Lakers legend laughed at Clippers on live television for passing on him

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.

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.

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.

Also read: “Kevin Durant if you’re man enough don’t flop”: Joel Embiid takes a shot at the Nets superstar addressing their recent altercation at Philly

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.

 

 

 

Post Edited By: Akash Murty
Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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