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Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant was recently asked to name his Mount Rushmore of bucket-getters since 2000. The former MVP didn’t hesitate to name four players, including himself. However, fans quickly took exception with a few notable omissions from his list, including his former Golden State Warriors co-star, Steph Curry.
Aside from himself, Durant chose LA Lakers and Houston Rockets legends Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, along with Lakers superstar forward LeBron James.
“Just the 2000s? Me, Kobe, T-Mac and Bron,” Durant told reporter Chris Henderson.
Notably, James (39,643 points) and Bryant (30,553 points) rank first and third in total points since 2000, respectively. Meanwhile, Durant (27,968 points) ranks fifth. However, McGrady (17,116 points) sits outside of the top 25.
So, some fans didn’t appreciate Durant selecting McGrady over Curry (22,725 points since 2000). The two-time MVP is widely considered the greatest shooter of all time and helped Durant win his only two NBA titles, which fans pointed out.
“What about the guy that gave you two rings?” one fan said.
“Steph clearly clears Tracy,” another said.
Meanwhile, others took issue with the 14-time All-Star snubbing several other NBA greats.
“[Tim] Duncan. Giannis [Antetokounmpo], Curry, [Nikola] Jokic, Shaq[uille] [O’Neal]. Plenty of dudes clear McGrady,” one fan said.
“[Car]Melo [Anthony]? Curry? [James] Harden? Dirk [Nowitzki]? All for consideration, IMO,” another said.
Below are a few more of the top fan reactions to Durant’s Mount Rushmore of bucket-getters since 2000:
Kevin Durant still ranks top 5 in scoring in 16th season
Despite being 35 and in his 16th season, Kevin Durant remains one of the NBA’s top-five scorers this season.
Through 37 games, Durant is averaging 29.1 points per game. He trails only fellow superstars Joel Embiid (36.1 ppg), Luka Doncic (33.6 ppg), Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.3 ppg) and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.1 ppg).
Notably, the four players above Durant are all between the ages of 24 and 29 and in their prime years. So, Durant still ranking among them at age 35 is a testament to his longevity as a dominant scorer.
Durant’s impressive play in Year 16 resulted in him being named a Western Conference All-Star starter on Thursday, marking his 14th All-Star selection. Following the news of his selection, the two-time champion expressed his gratitude.
“Thanks to the fans, media and most importantly my peers for voting me into my 14th All-Star game. Can’t wait to lock in and hoop with some of the greatest ever in Indy,” Durant tweeted.
In addition to his 29.1 ppg average, Durant is averaging, 6.4 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.2 blocks and 2.3 3-pointers per game on 52.9% shooting.
