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Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kevin Durant Declares War On NBA Mount Rushmore: "None Of Them Can Guard Me"
Kevin Durant Declares War On NBA Mount Rushmore: "None Of Them Can Guard Me" originally appeared on Fadeaway World. Kevin Durant is never one to back down from a challenge, especially when it comes to his legacy. The 2-time NBA champion and former MVP lit up social media this week after firing a fiery response to a fan who called him out in a viral 'NBA Mount Rushmore' post. Advertisement The post in question asked a simple but provocative question: "Who are you removing from this legendary lineup?" The graphic included six all-time greats — Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Durant himself. One fan didn't hesitate and tagged Durant directly, calling him 'The Imposter' among the immortals. Durant, known for his unapologetic presence online, didn't let it slide. He clapped back in signature KD fashion: 'None of them can guard me. How bout that???' With that one tweet, Durant essentially declared war on the NBA's mythical Mount Rushmore. Advertisement And here's the kicker: he's not wrong. Let's break it down. Jordan and Kobe? Elite defenders in their primes, sure, but both are 6'6' guards. Durant, at 6'10' with a 7'5' wingspan, can rise up over either of them like they're contesting in slow motion. Shaquille O'Neal and Tim Duncan? All-time great big men, but neither had the lateral quickness to keep up with Durant on the perimeter. Tim might have been a quiet assassin on defense, and Shaq an immovable object in the paint, but KD would drag them out to the arc and torch them. LeBron James, perhaps the most versatile defender of the bunch, might offer the best shot at slowing KD down. But even that's a stretch. Durant and LeBron have gone head-to-head on the biggest stages before, and KD more than held his own, famously dropping dagger threes over James in back-to-back NBA Finals to help deliver titles to Golden State. Advertisement One fan tried to play peacekeeper, replying to Durant's post with some humility: 'Every person in that graphic is unguardable to be fair.' Durant acknowledged the point but couldn't help doubling down: 'Very true, would definitely need the National Guard to help guard those brothers. But lemme talk my shit real quick fam.' That's peak Durant, brutally honest, self-aware, and still fearless at 36. And let's be clear: Durant is still very much that guy. Last season with the Phoenix Suns, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists while shooting 52.7% from the field and a sizzling 43% from deep. Even as the league gets younger and faster, KD's scoring efficiency and shot-making remain generational. Advertisement Now suiting up for the Houston Rockets after a blockbuster trade just last week, Durant enters a new chapter. But his confidence hasn't wavered, and neither has his ability to torch any defender thrown his way, whether that defender is a rising star or a Mount Rushmore legend. Durant's message was simple and sharp: put respect on his name. Because no matter how many titles or MVPs others have, very few, if any, can guard Kevin Wayne Durant. Related: Leaked DMs Show Kevin Durant Defending His Legacy After Failed Season With Suns This story was originally reported by Fadeaway World on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rockets star Kevin Durant discusses role he played in his former team's success
Kevin Durant is one of the greatest players in NBA history. His career, however, has often been overlooked by fans due to the nature of his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Houston Rockets star recently appeared on the "Mind the Game" podcast with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Hall of Famer Steve Nash. Durant revealed that he believes his era of Thunder basketball set the franchise up to find success in the modern era. Advertisement "I just think they got a beautiful thing going and I think that what we created early on in OKC has just prepared everybody in OKC for what this is like," Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant stated. "We've all learned from that situation. It's been nine, ten years almost. So, they've been through different iterations of the Thunder." Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp "They've been through different iterations with great players and they understand developing a great player from a 19-year-old into being the MVP," Durant continued. "Drafting them, trading for them, developing. So, they done been through everything. Even though we were the Seattle Sonics, we were an expansion franchise. So, they understand everything from building up from the ground up to where they are now. We all could see this coming with this team." Durant spent the first nine seasons of his career with the franchise, the final eight of which came after the move from Seattle to Oklahoma City. During his eight years in the new location, he averaged 28.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 49.0% from the field, 38.7% from three-point range and 88.3% from the free-throw line. Advertisement He won four scoring titles and the 2013-14 MVP during that stretch, while also earning seven All-Star selections and All-NBA honors six times. His accomplishments have often been overlooked due to the tumultuous nature of his departure to the Golden State Warriors -- where he won two championships and NBA Finals MVP awards. It remains to be seen if he will receive a better reception from the fans of the organization he played a major role in building after the Thunder won their first title in franchise history in 2024-25. The Rockets will mark the fifth team Durant has played on in his illustrious NBA career. More NBA: Rockets star Kevin Durant discusses 50-40-90 seasons with LeBron James
Yahoo
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander becomes first player in 12 years to win both NBA MVP and Finals MVP after dominant Thunder run
Shai Gilegous-Alexander is your 2025 NBA Finals MVP after leading the Oklahoma City Thunder on a dominant run, from Opening Night to the team's 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 on Sunday night. The Thunder point guard was named the winner of the award after the game, making him the ninth player in NBA history to win both the regular-season MVP award and the Finals MVP award. He also won the Western Conference finals MVP award, for good measure. Advertisement Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.3 points, 5.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game throughout the NBA Finals. He dropped 29 points and 12 assists in Sunday's win. The last player to accomplish the double-MVP was LeBron James when he did it in back-to-back seasons in 2012 and 2013, during his Miami Heat days. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokić have all won both of the awards since then, but never at the same time. Here's the full list: LeBron James (2012, 2013) Tim Duncan (2003) Michael Jordan (1991, 1992, 1996, 1998) Hakeem Olajuwon (1994) Magic Johnson (1987) Moses Malone (1983) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971) Willis Reed (1970) It's worth noting that while the NBA MVP award was introduced in 1956, the Finals MVP award only dates back to 1969. Had the latter award been introduced sooner, its namesake Bill Russell and rival Wilt Chamberlain would almost certainly be on that list. Advertisement Chamberlain won MVP the year he led the Philadelphia 76ers to the 1967 championship, while the Boston Celtics won the title in four out of Russell's five MVP years. Bob Cousy might have also had an argument for Finals MVP on the 1957 champion Celtics after winning MVP that year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just had one of the best seasons in NBA history If your average NBA player was asked to write out what they hope to accomplish before any given season, the result would not have looked too different from Gilgeous-Alexander's 2024-25 campaign. Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in scoring, was dominant enough on defense to earn a second-place Defensive Player of the Year vote and was the focal point of a 68-win team. The Thunder were clearly the most talented team in the league from top to bottom, but there was never any question who held the drivers' keys on the court. Advertisement The Thunder finished the regular season with the best point differential in NBA history, and Gilgeous-Alexander was the reason why, via Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor: SGA has led OKC despite Chet Holmgren missing 50 games and Isaiah Hartenstein missing 25 games. In the 1,112 minutes SGA played without either of them, the Thunder were still a plus-18.9. Add in the minutes that their second-best player, Jalen Williams, was also on the bench, the Thunder still were a plus-26.7 as long as SGA was on the floor. There are people who will argue Jokić was more deserving of the MVP award, but the fact is both players posted two of the greatest individual performances the NBA has ever seen. And then Gilgeous-Alexander led his team to its first championship in OKC, beating Jokić's Denver Nuggets in a surprisingly competitive second-round series. Gilgeous-Alexander's 2024-25 was the culmination of a steady rise from the moment he entered the NBA. The Los Angeles Clippers picked him 11th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft and, after a solid rookie season, dealt him to OKC in the much-maligned Paul George trade (which, to be fair, is the reason LA was able to get Kawhi Leonard). Advertisement SGA has led the Thunder in scoring every season since he landed, with his numbers and the team improving every season. The SGA trade was the beginning of a hard rebuild for the Thunder, but they were competitive again by the 2022-23 season and back in the playoffs as the West's top seed last year. That campaign ended in disappointment, with an upset loss to Luka Dončić's Dallas Mavericks. The Thunder responded by reinforcing their young core with veterans Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, while Gilgeous-Alexander responded by finding yet another gear. There was no stopping them this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to get paid — next summer The Finals MVP doesn't change how much Gilgeous-Alexander can get paid in the future, but it does demonstrate how little choice the Thunder have in giving him the money he wants. Advertisement By winning MVP, the 26-year-old is eligible to sign a five-year, $380 million supermax contract extension once he becomes eligible in the 2026 offseason. He has already met the criteria two times over, with his MVP win and back-to-back All-NBA selections, and just needs to finish his seventh NBA season. When he gets that contract, it will be the largest deal in the history of the NBA, with a $76 million average annual value that would be unprecedented in American sports.
Fox News
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
A history of NBA Draft lottery leaps: Where do the Mavericks rank all-time?
The Dallas Mavericks have secured the No. 1 pick for the 2025 NBA Draft after entering Monday's lottery with just a 1.8% chance. The Mavs – who will have the top pick for the first time in franchise history – are now expected to select standout prospect Cooper Flagg on June 25, capping off a wild season in which Dallas traded five-team All-NBA star Luka Doncic in February to the Los Angeles Lakers. It's a seemingly improbable turn of events considering that the Mavs had the 11th lowest odds going into Monday and three teams — the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Utah Jazz — each had a 14% chance at getting the top Mavs' 1.8% odds will now go down as the fourth-lowest for obtaining the top pick since the lottery was implemented in 1985. In a fateful twist, the Chicago Bulls had a 1.7% shot at this year's top pick, the same odds that landed them future MVP Derrick Rose back in 2008. Here is a full rundown of the biggest jumps to No. 1 in NBA Draft lottery history: Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
