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‘Way Better’: Kendrick Perkins Explains Why Giannis Antetokounmpo Already Has a Better Legacy Than Kevin Durant

Published 08/03/2021, 12:03 AM EDT

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The 2021-22 NBA season is a much-anticipated event now. The reigning NBA champions, the Milwaukee Bucks, will receive their much-deserved rings. Moreover, Giannis Antetokounmpo is going to have his name buzzing all around the Fiserv Forum.

Through his finals win, where Giannis put up 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists, he wrote a great chapter in his career. Moreover, he drove arguments that he could be the best player in the NBA right now. His battle against Kevin Durant and the Nets, where they came back from 0- 2 down to clinch the series, was a notable triumph in the playoffs.

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Now, comparing Durant and Giannis’ legacy, who has the better one? Recently, Kendrick Perkins, who chose his side, may have left everyone in shock.

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Perkins says Giannis Antetokounmpo has a better legacy

On The Jump, when asked about who he thinks has the better legacy, Perk did not shy away from saying the ‘Greek Freak’ has the better legacy. He explained that he is not saying Giannis is the better player. To him, legacy is like writing a book. Hence, he feels Antetokounmpo has a better story than KD.

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Perkins said: “I pick Giannis… I didn’t say who was the best player, or who was the better player. Obviously, that’s Kevin Durant. When you think about legacy, you think about their story. And you think about basically writing a book and the chapters of their story. Right now, Giannis’ story is way better than KD’s. So, to me, he has a better legacy.”

Perk made his argument based on Antetokounmpo being drafted 15th and waiting for a chance to prove himself. On the other hand, everyone had high hopes for Kevin Durant coming out of high school. In addition, he spoke about how Giannis Antetokounmpo won a championship with a small market team, which had not won in 50 years. Perkins said that his run reminded him of Kobe Bryant or LeBron James.

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Who has the better legacy?

This is a tough question to answer since both of them are still playing at a high level. However, saying that Giannis has a better legacy right now seems a little much.

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Yes, Giannis won a storybook championship. Despite having the ability to go wherever he wanted to, he stayed with the small-market team and won them a chip. He has won back-to-back MVPs and a DPOY in just 8 years in the NBA, joining just MJ and Hakeem Olajuwon as the 3 players who have these accolades. Moreover, he has been to the All-Star game 5 times.

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However, Kevin Durant has been in the league for over 10 years and still continues to perform at a top-level. Even after an ACL injury, he came back and had the best scoring playoffs of his career averaging 34 a game. He has won 2 Finals MVPs and 1 regular season MVP. Also, he has been an All-Star 11 times and has 4 scoring titles. He is one of the best offensive players in the history of basketball.

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To sum it up, Giannis has a lot more to show and can definitely end with a greater legacy. But, as of now, KD takes this one. Who do you think has the better legacy? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Anuj Talwalkar

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Anuj Talwalkar is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He is a student studying at NM College in Mumbai, aspiring to pursue sports management to follow his love for sports. Anuj started following the NBA last year, and he loves to combine his passion for writing with his understanding of basketball.
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