Subscribe
Follow Us
Kevin Durant has spent endless hours watching videos of his favorite players, but when asked to sum up his favorites, the Golden State Warriors forward narrowed them down to three: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Kyrie Irving.
“Kobe, MJ and Kyrie,” Kevin Durant told Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Just the way they move, I don’t understand why people don’t realize what they’re seeing in these three, especially Jordan and Kobe. Kyrie is younger than me, and that’s one of my best friends, so I watch his stuff. I get to play with Steph every day so I know his game inside and out. But watching Kobe and Mike, I’m like, ‘How do you not realize how good these dudes are?’ How do you not say they’re by far better than anybody who’s played the game? Just by the way they move, how fluid they are.”
The back-to-back Finals MVP explained how his rabid admiration for these players can at times turn into an obsession:
“Everybody that comes to my house, whether it’s friends or family, I make them watch Jordan highlights,” said Kevin Durant. “This is equivalent to (Albert) Einstein … f***ing (Ludwig van) Beethoven … or (Barack) Obama. This is the greatest talent and athletes and minds of the world. Just because they play sports, people think one way. But they’re masters, they’re geniuses. I just started realizing that a few years ago: Watching those guys can really spark my creativity.”
“When I fall in that wormhole, I start watching … f***ing …. Sidney Moncrief.”
Other favorites?
Bernard King: “His pull-up J game going left is fucking stupid.”
Stephon Marbury: “His handles — Stephon Marbury was a ridiculous player, bro. I just want people to really look at him. These guys didn’t win all the championships and aren’t the most popular, but real basketball people know.”
Durant's appreciation for the sport goes beyond the biggest names, but it extends to the unsung legends of the sport, ones who perhaps didn't get the shine they deserved despite their unparalleled display of basketball skill.
Kevin Durant has clearly become a full-on basketball junkie these days, something even teammates like Quinn Cook have noticed. KD has fully immersed himself in the game in hopes of reaching an even higher, which is almost hard to comprehend given what he has already established.
