kevin durant
kevin durant
In a compliment about fellow NBA great Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant actually insulted the Milwaukee Bucks legend.
There is no doubt that Durant will go down as one of the greatest scorers to ever play on an NBA court. At his best, the 6-foot-11 forward is unguardable. He is athletic, long, and has limitless range. Yet, for as much as he will be remembered for his exploits on the court, he has a reputation off it for bold opinions. In public and in private.
Well, this week he offered up some thoughts on one of the great players from his era, Antetokounmpo. Unsurprisingly, he delivered some high praise for the two-time NBA MVP. However, in complimenting the 10-time All-Star, he also insulted the “Greek Freak.”
“Greek Freak is probably the number one guy I like to watch. I think he is a force and I’ve never seen anything like him. His ceiling, he could be the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about, but he’s by far my favorite player to watch”
Is Kevin Durant questioning Giannis Antetokounmpo’s work ethic?
What the Houston Rockets forward had to say about his Miami Heat counterpart is high praise. Antetokounmpo is a one-of-a-kind talent. The 6-foot-11 big man is one of the greatest athletes to ever play in the NBA. He is a threat on both sides of the court, and if he were a better three-point shooter, he would be darn near illegal.
Yet, what is weird about Durant’s comment is this part. “He could be the best player to ever play if he really wanted to.” Which begs the question: does the 16-time All-Star think Antetokounmpo doesn’t want to and isn’t working as hard as he could to be great?
Most observers of the sport would suggest that the 31-year-old works very hard to be in tip-top shape to consistently be one of the top players in the league every season. And when healthy, Antetokounmpo has a case as the best player on the planet. Is there really more he can do than he is right now? It seems that Durant does, because that was a weird throw-in on a very nice compliment.