Not long ago, Durant said in an interview: "If Jordan and James were to choose someone to play a five-on-five game, they would choose me." I'm going to be part of this ten-player race, that's how I feel. ”
According to Durant himself, he is one of the best 10 players of all time. This view has also aroused heated discussion in the US media. There's no doubt that Durant's scoring ability ranks in the top 10 in the NBA because he's a sharpshooter who's 6 feet 10 inches tall and has an arm span of more than 7 feet. In terms of talent, Durant has every reason to say he's one of the most unique and unstoppable players of all time.
However, according to the conventional cognition of the US media, the top 10 players in NBA history are Jordan, James, Abdul-Jabbar, Russell, Magic, Chamberlain, Bird, Duncan, Bryant and O'Neal. There is no Durant name on this list. Because, Durant doesn't have enough championship or individual honors to compare to the top 10 players.
If Durant wants to be in the top 10, he has to catch up with O'Neal. During his career, O'Neal has won 4 NBA championships and 3 Finals MVP, 1 regular season MVP, 2 scoring champions, 15 All-Stars, and 8 Best Players.
Compared to O'Neal, Durant's results are slightly inferior. So far, Durant has won only 2 championships, 2 FMVP, 1 regular season MVP, 4 scoring champions, 12 All-Stars and 6 best-of-the-league players. Durant's achievements are an honor that many players can not hope to achieve. But in historical comparisons, Durant's number of championships is still too small. Therefore, he cannot be a member of the top 10 of history.
Still, Durant's career is at its peak, and he has the opportunity to continue expanding his honor book. If he can win the Championship with the Nets and then get the FMVP, he may surpass O'Neal to enter the top ten in history. But until then, KD wasn't in the top 10 discussions.