During a recent appearance on the Unguarded podcast, Houston Rockets star forward Kevin Durant was asked an interesting question: As an elite NBA player, what is the more precious piece of hardware, a championship ring or the MVP award?
Durant’s answer might surprise some.
Kevin Durant Says NBA MVP Award is More Precious Than a Championship Ring
In Durant’s eyes, the MVP award is more precious because of the rarity of the award. While an entire roster of players wins a ring every year, only one singular player wins the MVP award, which is the sport’s highest individual accolade.
“An MVP, it’s one a year,” Durant said. “I don’t give a f–k what nobody say. The ring is incredible, and it’s a great, great moment. Great team accomplishment… But come on, everybody wants to be MVP. If you got a chance to become an MVP in the NBA… I can see if it was an MVP per team, it’s like all right, give me the ring. . . . That ring, it’s a lot that’s out of your control with the ring sometimes,” Durant said. “The MVP, you got a little bit more control in your hands when you got a chance to win an MVP.”
Some fans might not like Durant’s answer, because basketball is a team sport and winning a championship is supposed to be the ultimate goal for every player. But, Durant is assuredly not the only player in the league who would rather hoist the Michael Jordan Trophy rather than the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
Kevin Durant Speaking From a Place of Experience
At least Durant is speaking from a place of experience in this situation, as he’s one of the few players in league history who has won both an MVP award and a championship ring. He was named the NBA’s MVP following the 2013-14 season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder and he went on to win two championships with the Golden State Warriors in 2017 and 2018.
Durant is obviously entitled to his own opinion, and for him, his MVP award is more previous than his pair of championship rings.
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