All of that drivel about how Thunder forward Kevin Durant is too nice to be a true superstar. How he lacks confidence, lacks that killer instinct, how he lets Russell Westbrook poach alpha-male status in Oklahoma City, looking away as Westbrook nails clutch free throws in a crucial playoff game, how he isn’t a genuine competitor. It’s all horribly inaccurate and archaic, and for his part, Durant is putting on the full-court press to kill and bury those fallacious misconceptions, once and for all.
First it was the “KD is not nice” advertising campaigns. Then it was Durant’s proxy war with the local Oklahoma City media. Now it’s the Slim Reaper’s newfound hubris that’s working hard to flip the narrative.
The 2014 NBA MVP made a promotional appearance in Spain this week to publicize his new Nike KD VIII basketball shoe and made a bold proclamation in a Q&A.
Durant was asked to comment about where both he and the Thunder are at heading into next season. “We’re ready to take on the challenge,” replied the 26-year-old. “We’re under the radar, exactly where we want to be, and looking forward to having a good season. And yes, I’m still the best player in the world.”
It’s easy to forget how transcendently dominant of a talent Durant is, in the aftermath of his Jones fracture last season that required multiple surgeries to remedy and limited him to just 27 games. But KD is steadfast on reminding the NBA community, and it’s just the kind of attitude he needs to have as he looks to lead the Thunder on a pilgrimage to the basketball mountaintop.
But Durant’s candidacy for “best player in the world” is not an unopposed crusade by any stretch of the imagination. While he may be the best pure scorer in the league, the six-time All-Star still has to contend with the all-around brilliance of LeBron James (who made an incredibly similar declaration about himself during the 2015 NBA Finals), the shooting sorcery of reigning MVP Stephen Curry, and the NBA embodiment of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Anthony Davis.
As Durant heads into the 2015-16 season with what looks to be a full bill of health, it should make for one exceptionally compelling competition. Here’s looking forward to the Durantula trying to live up to that confidence next year and return to the form that saw him hoist the Maurice Podoloff Trophy just 16 short months ago.
H/T Bleacher Report
