Home

NBA

Kevin Durant Critic Stephen A. Smith Offended by His Exclusion From ESPN’s Top 10 Players of All Time: “The Tim Duncans, the Oscar Robertsons, I Just Don’t Know, I Need More Time”

Published 02/24/2022, 7:30 PM EST

Follow Us

USA Today via Reuters

Kevin Durant is arguably one of the greatest scorers that the NBA has ever seen. In most cases, tall players are generally slower as compared to the others. But this is not the case with KD. He uses his height, wingspan, and quickness to get by defenders for an easy finish. Moreover, he is also a fantastic shooter. If the ball is in KD’s hands, it’s almost certain that he will deliver.

WATCH THIS STORY: Ben Simmons’ Blockbuster Nets Debut, Stephen Curry vs Damian Lillard and Other Moments to Look Out for After NBA All-Star Game

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Clearly, it is to nobody’s surprise that the two-time NBA champion and former MVP was included in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. However, when ESPN ranked the 75th Anniversary Team, he did not make the Top 10. Considering this, Stephen A. Smith explained his view on why KD deserved to be present in the Top 10.

USA Today via Reuters

Stephen A. Smith on Kevin Durant

Smith started off by saying that he would put Shaquille O’Neal in the Top 10 ahead of Tim Duncan. Thereafter, he mentioned that he’d move Kobe Bryant to a higher position in the rankings and try to make room for Stephen Curry in the Top 10. He then explained that he would include Kevin Durant as well in the Top 10.

Trending

Get instantly notified of the hottest NBA stories via Google! Click on Follow Us and Tap the Blue Star.

Follow Us

Kevin Durant Causes Social Media Eruption With Dissatisfaction Over High School Kid’s Free Throw Routine

“Outside of that, Kevin Durant. I gotta put him Top 10,” said Smith.

“I ain’t trying to remove Wilt Chamberlain from the Top 10. But I mean, the Tim Duncans, the Oscar Robertsons, I just don’t know. I need more time,” he explained.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Clearly, Stephen A. Smith believes that there should be a place in the Top 10 for Kevin Durant.

In Conclusion

Clearly, Kevin Durant is one of the best players to ever set foot in the NBA. During the Warriors’ championship run, he proved himself to be the best player on the team as won 2 Finals MVP awards. Moreover, he is a prolific scorer. Some even consider him to be the best player in the NBA at present.

ADVERTISEMENT

Article continues below this ad

Speaking of his scoring, he is a much better scorer than Oscar Robertson and Tim Duncan. However, Robertson does have the edge in the passing domain, while Duncan has the upper hand in rebounding. Moreover, both Robertson and Duncan are inducted into the Hall Of Fame. So, at present, adding KD into the Top 10 might be difficult. However, the man is still an active player. And as long as he is playing, there is a Top 10 chance for him.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :

Written by:

Sameer Prasad Koppolu

273Articles

One take at a time

Sameer is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having graduated from Manipal Institute of Technology, he has always had a keen interest in basketball and the numbers behind the game. With a goal to become a Sports Performance Analyst for a professional sports team, Sameer brings insights backed by data.
Show More>