For Houston Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant, everything changed after winning his first championship, including his perspective on his legacy — which he hopes to add to in his remaining years. Longevity, relevance, and championships still matter. ESPN's Kendrick Perkins called Durant the greatest scorer ever, which is the kind of standard Kevin alludes to when mentioning Hall of Famer such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
At this stage in his career, Durant, a 15-time All-Star and a four-time scoring champion with two titles, amid his 18th season, it's about adding to his legacy, he said, alongside Fred VanVleet, per Unguarded.
“I feel like I’ve mastered the game and that should be the only goal for every player,” Durant said. “I don’t give a f*** about Magic Johnson or Larry Bird, what they’ve done in comparison to me. The standard that they set, I want to reach that. As far as longevity, relevance, impact on the game, impact on the city. Championships, I want that too.”
Durant reveals his mindset shifted after winning his first championship with the Golden State Warriors.
“When we won the first one, and I realized none of that s*** mattered. Like, why am I comparing myself to another man? I should be playing against myself,” Durant said. “In my life in general, I’m not comparing myself to no human being in anything that I do.”
Durant and the Rockets earned their second loss in five outings in a 128-125 overtime loss to the Nuggets on Monday.
Jason Kidd on Kevin Durant's greatness before Rockets game
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Jason Kidd and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Phoenix Suns at the American Airlines Center
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd talked about Kevin Durant's greatness before the Rockets' 122-109 loss after Durant reached his 31,000-point career milestone. Kidd, who faced KD during his Hall of Fame playing career, says it's his passion for the sport that resonates with him the most.
“He loves to play the game of basketball,” Kidd said of Durant. “You start with the love and wanting to be great, and KD is the blueprint of that… He knows how to score, he can put it on the floor, he can shoot over you. Just understanding that he's perfected his craft.
“He came into this league as a scorer and he's just gotten better each year.”
The Rockets will face the New Orleans Pelicans on the road on Thursday.