Kevin Durant's GOAT case gets honest James Worthy take
09/05/2024 08:05 AM
When the GOAT debate happens, there are usually a handful of players considered for the honor. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are among the most popular answers. But as he continues to dominate and age gracefully within the NBA, does Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant have a case for that? NBA legend James Worthy believes he actually might.
Kevin Durant’s list of accolades is elite, and he’s nowhere near done yet. KD is a 14-time NBA All-Star, a two-time NBA Champion, an MVP, and a four-time Olympic gold medalist. When you lineup his resume with some other of the league’s best, he’s certainly up there as one of the best.
James Worthy on Kevin Durant’s GOAT case
Lakers legend James Worthy came out to support the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala late last month. The foundation gets together every year for a gala/dinner to help raise money for cancer research. This year’s honorees included Rickey Henderson, Allen Iverson, Lawrence Taylor, Dominique Wilkins, Dave Gilbert, and Michael Triplett.
It was there that James Worthy spoke with ClutchPoints about a number of topics, including Team USA’s incredible play in the 2024 Paris Olympics. When asked about Durant and the Suns star’s potential case for the ‘Greatest of All-Time,’ Worthy agreed that he definitely should be considered when its all said and done.
“I do,” Worthy said, agreeing with the idea of Durant as a potential GOAT. “I’ve loved him since Texas. If I’m choosing somebody, he might be… You know, Steph shoots the three, but Durant is cold-blooded at his height. And I think because there’s so much attention on other players right now… He hasn’t been forgotten about, but he’s just been schmoozing along and he still can put up numbers.
Over his 16-year NBA career with the Thunder, Warriors, Nets, and Suns, Kevin Durant has averaged 27.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game on 50.1 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from three. Outside of his rookie year where he averaged 20.3 points per game, Durant has never averaged fewer than 25 points per game.
“I loved him in Texas,” James Worthy added. “I just love his range, the way he can move out to the three, you can’t stop him in the mid-range game, he’s a pretty good defensive player, and he doesn’t get talked enough about. If you’re talking like top seven guys who can be the greatest of all time, he’s in there in my opinion. He’s just a phenomenal player.”
4x Olympic Gold Medalist
7⃣ Kevin Durant pic.twitter.com/FzWnu6lzCk
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) August 11, 2024
Durant will be turning 36 years old in late September but has shown no signs of slowing down anytime soon. He and the Phoenix Suns are hopeful to make a run at the NBA Championship, which would be his third if they’re able to do so.
In same interview with ClutchPoints, James Worthy also said Durant’s USA Team was able to hold off any scares from Serbia or France despite the best players in the NBA currently being international players.
“I know Serbia, they had to come back from that,” James Worthy recalled. “That was a little scare, but they held their poise, they played together, and we have to continue to show that America’s still the best. When you look at the NBA, the top eight or nine players are non-Americans, so they’re catching up. But it’s good to see that we still can put together our best and go win a gold.”
Kevin Durant and the Suns will return to action with their season opener on October 23 against the LA Clippers.
The post Kevin Durant’s GOAT case gets honest James Worthy take appeared first on ClutchPoints.
