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Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks are two of the best players in the world today. Unsurprisingly, Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes picked KD and Giannis as his two favorite players from among the current crop of NBA talent, passing on the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Stephen Curry, Joel Embiid and Ja Morant.
In an interview with Maurice Brooks of NBA.com as part of the league's 75th anniversary, Hayes was asked if he still follows the game of basketball and which teams and players he regularly watches. The 12-time NBA All-Star noted that he only supports the Houston Rockets but likes a couple of "super players."
"I watch quite a bit of NBA still. I don’t have a favorite team outside of Houston. I watch the Rockets. They are an inexperienced, young basketball team that is trying to get some experience. That’s my team right now," Hayes said.
"Giannis is a dominant player right now. He is really special. KD is a super player, also. There are some other great players but KD and Giannis are super players," Hayes added.
Elvin Hayes is one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, and is on the NBA 75 list. Hayes played for the Rockets twice in his career but spent the majority of it with the Washington Bullets. He won his lone NBA championship with Washington back in 1978.
Hayes was a 12-time All-Star, a former scoring champion and led the league in rebounds twice. He amassed a total of 27,313 points, 16,279 rebounds and 1,171 blocks in his 16-year career. Hayes was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1990.
Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo among the MVP favorites this season
It has been a while since the race for the MVP award was wide open and that's exactly what is happening this season. Initially, it was between Durant and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. But with Durant injured and Curry struggling, the list of contenders has become more interesting.
Antetokounmpo has been playing better this season than during both of his MVP campaigns, while reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets is having quite possibly the greatest statistical season in NBA history. Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers has entered the conversation and DeMar DeRozan will surely get some votes for what he has done with the Chicago Bulls.
Chris Paul should get some consideration since the Phoenix Suns have the best record in the NBA and Ja Morant has made a case for himself by turning the Memphis Grizzlies into a surprisingly good team this season. MVP voters may also fall in love with LeBron James, who is currently carrying the LA Lakers to a respectable record.
At the end of the day, it will be interesting to see if Kevin Durant can bounce back from his injury and if Giannis Antetokounmpo can continue his great season. The MVP award, and perhaps even the title of best player in the world, is on the line for all the players mentioned above.
Guess the Lakers players!
