Today's release of ESPN's World Fame 100 rankings; a collection of Forbes' annual list of highest-paid athletes plus journalistic sources that cover different sports around the globe, came with plenty of shocking surprises — one of them was Kevin Durant eclipsing teammate Stephen Curry out of the Top 10 rankings.

The 2014 MVP ranked No. 8 in the list, while his Golden State Warriors mate landed right outside of the 10 most famous at No. 11.

While it may come as a shocking surprise that the top-selling jersey and back-to-back MVP is behind Durant regarding fame, if one takes a step back to look at the first 10, it will all start clicking.

  1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Portugal) — Soccer
  2. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers/USA) — Basketball
  3. Lionel Messi (Barcelona FC/Argentina) — Soccer
  4. Roger Federer (Switzerland) — Tennis
  5. Phil Mickelson (USA) — Golf
  6. Neymar Jr. (Barcelona FC/Brazil) — Soccer
  7. Usain Bolt (Jamaica) — Sprinting
  8. Kevin Durant (Golden State Warriors/USA) — Basketball
  9. Rafael Nadal (Spain) — Tennis
  10. Tiger Woods (USA) — Golf

It's worthy to note these are “world” rankings, meaning soccer would take the utmost precedent, as it is the most played sport on the planet, with three soccer players ranking as the top six most-recognized faces.

All of these athletes have participated at the worldwide stage, whether it was a tournament, cup, or the Olympics. Durant was one of the most-recognized faces of Team USA in these past Rio 2016 Olympics, as the outright leader of the team, the same way LeBron was the key figure in past Olympics.

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Curry had participated in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA Championships, but played minor parts in both, once again falling outside of the big lights.

Durant was originally cut from the 2007 team prior to the start of his NBA career, but would come back in 2010 to lead Team USA to its first FIBA World Championship since 1994, earning MVP honors in the process. He later starred in the London 2012 Olympics, setting the record for total points scored in an Olympic basketball tournament.

With appearances in 2014 and 2016, Durant has made plenty of buzz at the international level, while Curry's play has been largely limited to play at the NBA level.

Aside from that broader spectrum, Durant's move to the Warriors has stirred plenty of headlines, and while it's sure landed him a lot of negative press, it has also forced people to choose a horse in the race, regardless of whether they previously liked him as a player or not.

The 6-foot-9 forward has been in the center of mentions on social media from the start of the season, and while most of it has been criticism, fame does not distinguish good from bad, it just distinguishes the known, from the not-so-much-known.

For these reasons, Kevin Durant has managed to notch the eighth spot in the rankings, adding a very controversial season to a very decorated international resume — becoming one of the most famed athletes in the planet.