For years, fans have argued over which NBA player is truly the greatest of all time. Usually, it boils down to two players — former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and current Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. You can add Kevin Durant's name to the mix, if you ask Colin Cowherd.
The veteran FOX Sports analyst recently said that the Golden State Warriors power forward could definitely join the conversation of being with the all-time greats if he completes a specific achievement:
"If Kevin Durant stays [in Golden State] and wins a 4th straight title… We have ourselves a second conversation beyond MJ vs. LeBron and it becomes LeBron and Durant."@ColinCowherd on why KD should stay with the Warriors rather than join the Knicks pic.twitter.com/dnJboxPozP
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) February 19, 2019
Kevin Durant is set to become the league's top free agent this offseason. This has led many to speculate that he could leave Golden State and instead sign with a team like the New York Knicks. However, Cowherd has lofty expectations for a future with Durant on the Warriors:
“…it matters to [Durant] to be viewed as an equal or better than LeBron.
…In three months, Kevin Durant's going to win his third straight title. In three months, Kevin Durant will be the Finals MVP.
…If Kevin Durant stays and wins a fourth straight title, and I believe the Warriors would…then we have ourselves a second conversation beyond MJ and LeBron, and it becomes LeBron and Durant. And that argument will last forever.”
Currently, Michael Jordan leads both James and Durant in terms of pure hardware. During his 15-year NBA career, Jordan won six championships and was named the Finals MVP each time. He was named the league MVP five times and was selected to 14 All-Star games. He is the all-time career leader in points per game with 30.12.
However, LeBron James is catching up. The 34-year-old has been named to 15 All-Star teams during his 16-year career and is still going strong. He has three rings and was also named the Finals MVP each time. He is a four-time league MVP and ranks fifth all-time in career points per game with 27.14.
This looks like tough competition for Durant. But surprisingly, he stacks up fairly well. His career 27.16 points per game rank fourth all-time, just ahead of James. The 10-time All-Star has won the league MVP once in his twelve seasons. He has been named the Finals MVP each of the last two seasons, as he won the championship both years with Golden State.
For now, the race is clearly between James and Jordan. However, Cowherd does have a strong point. Two more rings – making four in a row total – could put Kevin Durant into the conversation for the greatest basketball player of all time.
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