(AUDACY) Wow, the day has finally come. The moment has arrived in which we're not debating whether the GOAT of basketball is Michael Jordan or LeBron James.
But that's not because the GOAT debate has been settled — don't be silly — it's just that another talking point, another name has been brought up that complicates it a little bit. For that, you can thank Warriors coach and Team USA assistant Steve Kerr, who has been a teammate of Jordan's and a coach of Kevin Durant. Kerr made a comment that naturally put the two head-to-head and, eventually, gave one player the advantage in terms of natural skill set and physical tools.
"(Durant) just showed he's the most talented basketball player on earth, if not of all time," Kerr told Raj Mathai of NBC Sports Bay Area. "Honestly. He's just so gifted. I loved coaching him, and I'm looking forward to doing so again."
Durant is coming off a spectacular performance for the Nets in the playoffs, averaging 34.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.6 blocks per game on .514/.402/.871 shooting splits throughout the postseason. His 49-point triple-double in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Bucks was one of the greatest playoff performances we've ever seen, if not the greatest. And his 48-point showing in Game 7 sensational as well, even though the Bucks earned an overtime win to eliminate the Nets.
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Durant and Kerr won NBA titles in Golden State together in 2017 and 2018 before losing in the NBA Finals in 2019, when Durant suffered a serious Achilles injury that kept him out for the 2019-'20 season. Kerr also played five seasons for the Bulls, winning three NBA titles with Jordan from 1996-'98.
Kerr went on to explain more regarding the Durant-Jordan comparison.
"I think (Durant's) more gifted (than Jordan), I really do," Kerr said. "That's saying something, but Kevin is a different ... entirely different breed. He's 6-11 with guard skills, unlimited 3-point range, passing, shot-blocking -- his shot-blocking at the rim, it's just stunning. Watching him this year was really, really gratifying to see.
"You think about what he did for this organization, not only helping us win titles but to come back and try to play through injuries and then suffer the devastating Achilles injury, we all just wanted to see Kevin healthy and to see him in the playoffs playing at the level he reached, it was really, really gratifying for all of us."
Coincidentally, another great with ties to Kerr and Jordan — former Bulls star Scottie Pippen — happened to recently opine that Durant wasn't at the level of LeBron James.
"James is a complete team player who understands team and winning," Pippen told Yahoo Sports, via David Lazar of the New York Post. "Has (Durant) gotten to that level yet? He went home. I think he still has some learning to do in terms of what it takes to will a team to victory.
"But I see a lot of a talk now going on about, 'Has he surpassed LeBron James?' Surpassing LeBron James takes a little bit more than an individual’s effort."
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