Kevin Durant hardly lacks confidence – at least when it comes to basketball. Remember that Uber promotion starring the Golden State Warriors superstar and LeBron James that was released around this time last year? Other than nationwide headlines the pair made for offering their opinions on President Donald Trump, the most notable exchange during their car ride with ESPN's Cari Champion came when Durant and James agreed that they were the top two players in the NBA.
On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar had the chance to live up to his word, when he and Giannis Antetokounmpo selected their teams for the upcoming All-Star game. James took Durant with the first overall pick, just like last year, but something tells us that isn't why the two-time reigning Finals MVP was incredulous when asked for his thoughts on James selecting him.
Kevin Durant figures his All-Star team will be heavy favorites: “Giannis is not from here, so I understand. Next year he’ll be better picking his team.”
On LeBron taking him #1 again: “What else he supposed to do?” pic.twitter.com/Q8JbxssN7P— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 9, 2019
Well, he has a point. If James isn't the best basketball player in the world, conventional wisdom says it's Durant, who's gone toe-to-toe with The King in each of the past two NBA Finals and hardly been outmatched. Those guys have played at a level in June recently that only a few players in history have ever reached.
Does another player have a case to be the first overall pick, though? Stephen Curry's resumé is sparkling, and not just because he's playing near the peak that made him the league's first unanimous MVP in 2016. Whose style is better suited to an All-Star game than a player who can rain threes from 40 feet while matching the ball-handling wizardry of Kyrie Irving?
James had a tougher call here than many would believe. Still, no one, including the man himself, was surprised when Durant's name was called first.
Follow Us
Subscribe