“If KD is Irrelevant, LeBron Is Irrelevant”: Ex-NBA Stars Defend Kevin Durant Amid 60YO Analyst’s Viral Remark on Suns Star

The playoff intensity is transcending beyond the court as analysts consistently find themselves in debates. Colin Cowherd recently made waves with his bold statement for Kevin Durant. After touching on KD’s comparisons to LeBron, Colin claimed that Durant’s skillset that makes him a top-2 player in the league is being lost. Behind that, comparing Durant to the recent history of Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic, and Anthony Davis, Cowherd said, “As I’m watching Phoenix get rolled, Kevin Durant’s becoming increasingly irrelevant.”

So, when the crew at Gil’s arena discussed the same, Gilbert Arena quickly pointed out, “It’s KD’s teams that’s been bad in the playoffs, not KD.” Moreover, Rashad McCants, when probed about the sentiments on Colin’s bold comments, asserted, “If KD is irrelevant, LeBron is irrelevant.” To back his statement, McCants reminisced about the Final clashes between James and Durant’s Warriors. With that, he claims that had LBJ not lost to GSW, he would not considered joining the Los Angeles Lakers. “He’s definitely very relevant. He’s averaging 29 a game,” he added.

While the entire podcast panel backed up Durant, Arenas asked Colin to bring up players with KD’s production and efficiency. “Not the teams, his production,” Arenas reiterates. With that, Gilbert points at Golden State Warriors’ struggles, citing that Stephen Curry still stays relevant because of his consistent superstar-like performances; all while making a case for Durant.

LeBron and Kevin Durant are huge part of each other’s legacy

Kevin Durant, during his Oklahoma City Thunder days, managed to narrow and come the closest to LeBron James‘ skillset in the NBA. Even though King James ended up with the trophy in his hand, it wouldn’t have been possible without KD’s rise. Even during his historic stretches with the Miami Heat, James agreed to draw motivation from the Slim Reaper’s surge.

One such instance came when KD won the 2014 MVP. James, during an interview, was asked to name a player who he draws inspiration from. Immediately bringing up Kevin Durant, LeBron said, “The way he plays every single night is very inspiring, motivating.” Since then, the two have had a monumental effect on each other’s lives. From on-court changes like a change in approach to match Durant’s shooting size, it also included off-court decisions like Durant leaving his Oklahoma brotherhood to help the Warriors beat the Cavs in the finals.

Now, nearly 10 years later, after plenty of Christmas Games and final matchups, Kevin Durant labeled LeBron James the standard of achieving greatness. “He’s just a baseline for you as a player to see how great you can be. He set that example for everybody in the league,” Durant said, after the regular season clash between his Phoenix Suns and the Lakers.

The two stars are currently in the middle of the playoff showdowns. Kevin Durant faces the surging Minnesota Timberwolves while LeBron James battles the defending champions.