Late Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant was certainly one of the best players the NBA has ever seen. With his incredible scoring skills coupled with his ability to lock down the opponent’s best players, ‘the Mamba’ was one of a kind.

Playing in the league for a whooping 20 years, Bryant certainly had his fair share of battles. From facing off against players like Vince Carter to defending current NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Kobe saw it all in his long career.

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Kobe Bryant ranks Kevin Durant higher than LeBron James in this category

Mamba certainly had his run-ins against the best in the league. While we never saw a playoff battle between the two, Bryant and LeBron James were locked up in multiple intense matchups in the regular season.

While Kobe was pretty vocal about his admiration of Bron, the 2-time Finals MVP certainly did not think that the ‘L-Train’ was the hardest player to defend. He rather crowned Kevin Durant in the same department.

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In an interview, Bryant had mentioned why he thought that Durant was the hardest player to defend for him. “Kevin Durant….When he first came in the league, he was easy to defend because he couldn’t go right and shoot….”

Bryant added, “Then he started developing it, started developing it and now he can pull up left, he could pull up right and he can shoot the long ball. He has runners left hand, right hand. Before he had a left hand finish at the rim. I could always send them left force him all the way to the basket.”

Kobe added, “But now he developed that. So then I couldn’t really figure out how?… When does he make them what times and again, I couldn’t really figure out that rhythm yet. So I retired not being able to figure him out.”

The Lakers’ legend certainly had his fair share of battles with Durant. Facing off against Kobe and the Lakers in the 2012 playoffs, ‘the Slim Reaper’ showed why he was a force to be reckoned with.

Durant has continued to be one of the most lethal players in the league. With his ability to score practically from anywhere coupled with his incredible length, the 2-time Finals MVP is simply unstoppable. Who do you think is the hardest player to defend in the league right now? Let us know in the comments section down below.