If you watched Kevin Durant's 49-point triple-double in in Game 5 of the Brooklyn Nets' Eastern Conference Semifinals series against the Milwaukee Bucks, and you're a big enough basketball fan, then it may very well have been a life-changing event. There were few performances as dazzling, if any, as KD's on that June night, and you just knew that history was being made in the moment.
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Apparently, though, we didn't need an epic, unforgettable playoff performance, one that ranks among the greatest individual games ever, to give us that "life-changing" feeling. All you need to do, says Andre Iguodala, is watch the guy work out.
Durant's former Warriors teammate joined JJ Redick on the latest episode of "The Old Man and the Three," available on Audacy, to talk about KD's misconstrued reputation and the wonders of a Durant practice session.
"There's been a lot of, you know, stuff thrown KD's way. I'm always rooting for him because he's like one of the best dudes I've ever been around. He's up there, like, he's just a good dude," Iguodala said. "The dude just wants to play basketball, and I always tell people: if you want your life to be changed, go watch KD work out.
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"I had my close friend, my godbrother, and I brought him to practice. He watched KD work out. After the workout, you see people's eyes get teary like they just met Michael Jackson or something. He was like, 'That was the greatest thing I have ever seen. I appreciate you.' "
Iguodala said that his friend, due to the practice, set up some workout sessions for his son, but he wants to emphasize that you can't really replicate what KD does. He's just that special — the type of special that made Steve Kerr say he was more talented than Michael Jordan.
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"KD's seven feet tall. I don't care what the stat sheet says. He's seven feet tall," Iguodala said. "And the way he handles the ball, and the way he shoots the ball, is like nothing else I've seen. I see Klay and Steph shoot. But every time KD shoots, the ball goes in the exact same way every single time... there's just a different level, and it's just like, there's nothing you can do."
In one practice, Iggy and Draymond Green put all their cards on the table and attempted to double team Durant. That's right — the self-proclaimed greatest defender in the NBA (Green) and Iguodala, who even called himself better than some of the players who have called themselves the greatest defenders ever. That's a pretty good duo.
"This is after the All-Star break, and we're just trying to get our rhythm back. And me and Draymond are competitors, like we're trying to win, and the only way we're gonna win is if we double team KD," Iguodala recalled. "KD was so mad. I'm like, bro, do you not understand what we're trying to tell you? You're that good... you've got two guys who are elite, all-time on defense and we have to double team you.
"Don't be mad at us bro, like you're that good!"
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