Years Played: 2008-Current
Teams: Seattle SuperSonics (2008), Oklahoma City Thunder (2009-16), Golden State Warriors (2017-18)
Career Per-Game Stats: 27.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, 1.1 blocks
Career Advanced Metrics: 25.3 PER, 130.2 WS, 0.219 WS/48, 5.1 BPM, 2,917.97 TPA
Career Accolades: Nine-time All-Star, Four-time scoring champion, Two-time NBA champion, Seven-time All-NBA, Two-time Finals MVP, One-time MVP, Rookie of the Year
Kevin Durant didn't need back-to-back titles in order to validate his standing as an all-time great. He could've lost out on both Finals MVPs, ceding the awards to Stephen Curry (or even LeBron James in his losing efforts), and still come out near the top of the small forward heap. You can even put asterisks next to the championships if you're feeling particularly petty, overlooking the notion that the general public's fascination with rings as the ultimate barometer of greatness might have compelled Durant to join the Golden State Warriors in the first place.
But he has those titles now. He owns a pair of Finals MVPs, putting him in a class containing only himself, Willis Reed, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Magic Johnson, LeBron James, Tim Duncan and Michael Jordan. History won't take those away, though it might instead gloss over the free-agency decision that overloaded the Dubs once a few decades have passed.
What won't be forgotten? Durant's status as a unicorn among unicorns, a 7-footer with a guard's skill set who can take over games as one of the greatest scorers in league history while playing excellent defense and filling a point-forward role. His lithe, wiry frame allows him to speed by bigger defenders and shoot over the top of smaller ones, making him a veritable cheat code when he finds a rhythm.
Among all 999 players in NBA history with at least 500 games to their credit, Durant ranks seventh in player efficiency rating. He sits at Nos. 10 and 16 for win shares per 48 minutes and box plus/minus, respectively. And none of those numbers isolate his greatest skill: sheer, unadulterated scoring excellence.
Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Jordan, James and Durant are the only six men in NBA history averaging at least 27 points per game throughout their careers. None of them can come close to matching Durant's true shooting percentage (61.1), with James (58.6) and Jordan (56.9) coming in a distant second and third. No one has ever blended together volume and efficiency quite like this two-time reigning champion.
And as such, with 11 professional seasons under his belt, he's truly earned treatment as the all-time great he's become. That would've been true even if he'd somehow come up short against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. But a little icing on the cake, especially in the form of two trophies earned in conjunction, never hurts.
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