The GOAT conversation is an endless debate that often includes NBA greats Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
But Kevin Durant is confused as to why he isn't a part of the discussion, recently questioning if his Warriors union diminished his basketball legacy.
"Because I went to the Warriors. Why shouldn’t I be in that? That’s the question you should ask," Durant told Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic. Why not? What haven’t I done?"
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And in timely fashion, Durant's former Warriors teammate Draymond Green weighed in on the debacle and gave his reasoning as to why he doesn't believe the Phoenix Suns star should be included in the GOAT conversation just yet.
"I think KD is one of the greatest scorers we've ever seen," Green said on a preview of the latest "The Draymond Green Show" episode, which has yet to be released. "The way KD scores the ball is so effortless. He's never seen a bad shot, he's going to get you 31 points on 14 shots. That is a normal KD night. Obviously, I'm not one that's going to be like, 'KD's championships aren't real.' Stop it. There's no championship that's not real.
"Steph [Curry] didn't get the credit that Steph gets today until 2022 when he led this team to a championship and won the Finals MVP. When all else was failing, Steph said, 'Alright fellas, come on, let's go there.' Period. You got to go do what Steph did to get to that conversation."
Golden State Warriors
Before joining the Warriors in the 2016-17 season, Durant spent the first nine seasons of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder (formerly Seattle SuperSonics). Durant averaged 27.4 points on 48.3-percent shooting, with seven rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals and one block in just under a decade with the team.
The timing of Durant's move to Golden State was questioned and critiqued by the NBA world, as his Thunder had just been knocked out of the postseason by ... the Warriors ... the season before.
Nonetheless, it happened. And with the Warriors, Durant helped lead the team to three consecutive NBA Finals trips and two titles. While Durant was an obvious key component to Golden State's postseason success during his time there, he continues to be crucified for the move, with several critics claiming he needed Curry to win a ring.
And to Green's point, the narrative was flipped toward Curry, too. When Durant left the Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets and then the Suns, the pressure increased for Curry, who was told he couldn't win another title without Durant. It didn't take long for the 3-point king to prove that theory wrong, as Curry led the Warriors to another championship in the 2021-22 season.
With the Nets and Suns, Durant hasn't been able to lead his team past the second round of the playoffs. Until he does, maybe Green will reconsider Durant's GOAT status.
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