Getty LeBron James with Kevin Durant.
For several years now, LeBron James has been considered the best basketball player in the world. Some even believe that he’s the best ever. At 36-years-old, many still contend that the Los Angeles Lakers star is the best in the business. However, Kevin Durant was very close to overtaking him.
He won two championships against LeBron’s Cleveland Cavaliers team and was already considered the second-best player in the world. Unfortunately, he was hit with a really bad injury at the end of the 2018-2019 season that forced him to miss the entire next season. LeBron went on to win a championship and cemented the fact that he’s still the best in the world.
Despite that, some believe that Durant still thinks he’s the best in the world. In fact, former NFL player turned Fox Sports analyst Shannon Sharpe claimed that Durant himself suggested that he was the “GOAT” over LeBron. The problem is that he never actually said anything like that. He took to Twitter to blast Sharpe for making the false claim.
It’s very possible that Durant believes he is better than LeBron, but he’s never come out and said it the way that Sharpe suggested he has.
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Is LeBron Still the Best in the World?
Durant had a very good opportunity to take the mantle as the best basketball player in the world this season. LeBron is 36 now, he’s coming off a shortened offseason and recently got injured. Unfortunately for Durant, he’s also been injured much of this season. He was playing at an extremely high level before getting hurt and was even in the MVP conversation.
LeBron quickly took the top spot in the MVP race until he was also injured. Now it’s unlikely that either will be taking home the trophy this season. That shouldn’t matter much as both men have a strong chance of playing each other in the NBA Finals. That matchup could be the ultimate litmus test to decide who the best player in the world is currently. If LeBron can overtake a ridiculously loaded Brooklyn Nets team, there’s no doubt he’s still the best in the world.
Durant Talks Recent Lakers Loss
Durant recently missed a lot of time but he’s finally back on the court as of late. One game he was able to play in was against the Lakers. Even without Anthony Davis or LeBron, Los Angeles dominated the Nets. Durant admitted he respects the Lakers.
“They hit us in the mouth early, and we were fighting uphill the whole game,” Durant said after Saturday’s loss. “Then, they got hot. You come in the game, guys who haven’t played as much get more opportunities and they’re playing free and they came out and hit us in the mouth. … They’re the champs. You’ve got to respect it.”
It’s very unfortunate that the Lakers and Nets have played twice this season without fully healthy lineups. It’s possible that they are the two teams that end up in the NBA Finals. We won’t have a great idea of how they match up until then.
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