‘Worst ever take’ – Fans stunned as Stephen A. Smith claims Kevin Durant is better than Kobe Bryant in key area
Kevin Durant is one of only eight men to score 30,000 points in the NBA.
The 6 ft 11 in Phoenix Suns forward combines a huge frame with the handling skills of a guard.
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But some believe 'The Slim Reaper' isn't held in high enough esteem by fans.
Stephen A. Smith thinks it is time to put some respect on the league's eighth most prolific scorer of all time FOX personality Nick Wright claiming he isn't a top-10 talent.
"Do you understand that Kevin Durant is a career 27 points per game scorer?" Smith began on his YouTube channel.
"Do you understand he's a career 50 per cent shooter from the field? Do you understand he's career 38.9-close-to-39 percent shooter [from the 3-point line?]."
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Smith's insistence that Durant is a top-10 all-time hooper often sees people throw five-time NBA champion Kobe Bryant's name into the mix as a comparison.
'Black Mamba' averaged 25 points per game in 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers.
"The intangibles, meaning the sizzles, the pizzazz that Kobe had — that's not Kevin Durant," Stephen A. admitted.
"If Kevin Durant was in a Lakers uniform, what would he have done? If Kevin Durant had Shaquille O'Neal as a teammate, could he have won three titles?"
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Durant was named NBA Finals MVP in 2017 and 2018 as the Golden State Warriors won back-to-back Championships.
But he is yet to return to the Finals since leaving the Bay Area in 2019 with the Brooklyn Nets and Suns disappointing.
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Fans weren't on board with the ESPN star's bold take at all.
"The Kobe disrespect has to stop," said one.
"KD might be more skilled than most of the top 10 but his career wasn’t even close to them," commented another.
"Hakeem Olajuwon had a better career then KD. Why are we comparing him to Kobe, bird, Duncan, and magic lmao," a third wrote.
"Worst ever Stephen A basketball take ….Durant has been on 4 super teams and only won chips with Steph," a fourth added.
While Smith isn't afraid to put his neck on the line, he did stop short of proclaiming KD above Kobe as an all-round player.
Ja Morant on Kevin Durant becoming first player since Michael Jordan to achieve to reach 30k points
"I'm not putting Kevin Durant over Kobe because their intangibles in terms of leadership and galvanizing the troops around you come into play," he added.
"But let's not act like it's an insult to mention Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant in the same sentence."
The 36-year-old Durant is competing in his 15th All-Star weekend.
That is only three shy of Kobe -- LeBron James leads the all-time standings as he makes his 21st consecutive appearance.
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