NBA Legend Reacts to Kevin Durant's Controversial Comments
In a recent interview with Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant said he would be in the GOAT discussion if he never joined the Golden State Warriors.
“Because I went to the Warriors,” Durant said to Rankin. “Why shouldn’t I be in that? That’s the question you should ask. Why not? What haven’t I done?”
These comments were understandably controversial, as most people believe Durant has not accomplished enough in his NBA career to be in the GOAT discussion, even if he is undoubtedly an all-time great.
One of the NBA figures to weigh in on Durant's comments was Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony, who said the following on his 7PM in Brooklyn podcast:
“Absolutely,” Anthony answered when asked if Durant deserves to be in the GOAT discussion. “I hate the GOAT talk… he will go down as arguably the most purest scorer that this league has ever seen. He’s a five level scorer. There’s nowhere he can’t score on the court. He’s a champion… He’s seven feet. He changed the game. How [are] you not going to say he’s not in the conversation with the GOAT?... If we talking ring culture, Michael Jordan is not the GOAT, Bill Russell is… But people gonna say Michael Jordan is the GOAT… to answer the question, yeah, that man is in the GOAT talk. He is a GOAT."
Anthony's take is a nuanced one, and something that should be considered more often. While "GOAT" implies one single greatest of all-time, Anthony and others feel there should be room in the conversation to include players like Durant who were the greatest or one of the greatest at a particular thing.
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