Kevin Durant Places Mavericks Superstar In All-Time Starting 5 of 'Pure Hoopers'

Durant is a big fan of this Mavericks guard's game.

Dec 27, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) during the third quarter at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Phoenix's Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers the game has ever seen, sitting 9th in NBA history in total points scorers, only a few hundred points away from crossing into the 30k club. So anytime he's talking about who he believes is great, it's worth its weight in gold.

Durant was recently asked on a recent episode of the "Out the Mud" podcast to give a starting five of the greatest "pure hoopers" ever, completely on the spot. At his point guard was former teammate and current Dallas Maverick Kyrie Irving.

Kevin Durant’s starting 5 of “Pure Hoopers”

PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Kobe Bryant
SF: Tracy McGrady
PF: Kevin Durant
C: Kevin Garnett

(h/t @Hatedzs) pic.twitter.com/jcxAR6jdyz

— Kyrie Center (@kyriecenterig) January 16, 2025

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Durant listed Irving with Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, himself, and Kevin Garnett. The small forward and center could be debated between a lot of people, but Irving, Bryant, and Durant are fairly inarguable. He battled between Bryant and Michael Jordan, and you can't go wrong with either for a list of "pure hoopers."

Irving and Durant were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets for a few years and were a smaller shoe on Kevin Durant away from making an Eastern Conference Finals. Otherwise, it was a tumultuous tenure as teammates for both of them in Brooklyn, leading to the two asking for trades. Irving ended up in Dallas while Durant went to the Nets.

Despite that rocky tenure, Durant and Irving have remained great friends, and Durant is still clearly a huge fan of Irving's game. Many have called Irving the most talented ball-handler the NBA has ever seen, and the two are in the exclusive 50/40/90 club along with seven other players in NBA history.

READ MORE: NBA Admits to Multiple Game-Changing Missed Calls in Mavericks-Pelicans

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