Durant refuses SI cover unless joined by teammates

[RsxPiimp]

DENVER -- No, Sports Illustrated isn't trying to sell more copies in Switzerland and Serbia by putting Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic on the cover with Oklahoma City star teammate Kevin Durant.

The magazine wanted Durant to pose for the cover of the Oct. 25 basketball preview issue, which hits newsstands Wednesday. The high-scoring forward said that was fine as long as he was joined on the cover by Sefolosha, a Swiss guard, and Krstic, a Serbian center.

"Yeah, basically I had to say it like that,'' Durant said before the Thunder's preseason game Tuesday at Denver.

Durant, regarded by many as the ultimate team player despite having led the NBA in scoring last season, didn't want to pose by himself. But why didn't he want to be joined by fellow Thunder top players Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green?

"Everybody knows about Jeff and Russell,'' Durant said.

So enter Sefolosha and Krstic, two guys people don't know much about. Well, actually folks did learn a bit more about Krstic last summer but it wasn't because of a positive situation. He was suspended for the first three games of the World Championship due to throwing a chair in a fight during an exhibition game against Greece.

But now, while Elvis Presley had the Jordanaires, Durant has Sefolosha and Krstic, whom he handpicked for Sports Illustrated and whom are in the background while Durant is on the foreground for the cover.

"People don't really know about them too much for some odd reason,'' said Durant, who didn't play against the Nuggets due to Thunder coach Scott Brooks giving him his first game off this preseason. "So it was good to have them in there with me ... People don't really talk about them too much, but they're playing a role. They're guys we have to have on this team. So I want everybody to know how much they're important to us and what great teammates they are. So it was the chance to voice my opinion, and I'm glad Sports Illustrated put them on the cover with me.''

For those still learning about the two, Sefolosha averaged 6.0 points last season while starting all 82 games and is a solid defender while Krstic averaged 8.4 points and 5.0 rebounds as a starter.

"That just shows K.D.'s character, him knowing that he's not doing it all by himself and he realizes it,'' Green said of Durant's choices for the cover. "He knows it's a team effort. To do that is big. You don't see a lot of guys who would do that, and it shows his character.''

If anybody knows Durant's character, it's Thunder general manager Sam Presti. He wasn't surprised by Durant's move.

"It speaks to Kevin as a teammate and as an individual,'' Presti said. "Clearly, he personifies a lot of the values we're striving to build with as an organization. That's appreciated by the guys he plays with.''

As for the Thunder, being on the cover of SI is further illustration the team hardly is a secret anymore. Oklahoma City went a surprising 50-32 last season, and gave the eventual champion Lakers quite a battle in the first round of the playoffs before falling 4-2.

Oklahoma City is now expected by many to advance in the playoffs next spring. Does that put any extra pressure on the team?

"For us, the pressure we put on ourselves is staying true to who we are, understanding that we have to continue to take steps forward and being able to stay consistent as we go through some good times and some tough times,'' Presti said. "For us to continue to improve, we can't just show up and play. It's going to have to happen on the practice court. We've got a long way to go before we're where we want to be.''

Stay tuned to see if there's any extra pressure on Sefolosha and Krstic now that a lot more people figure to be talking about them.


http://sports.cbsimg.net/images/nba/photogallery/SIThunderCover.jpg

[RsxPiimp]

I dont understand why the OKC thunders are on the cover though. It should be the Lakers or Heat IMO.

[lefty]

Class

[TheMACHINE]

anti-Lebron

[lefty]

anti-Lebron
And anti-Kobe

:stirpot:

[Giuseppe]

Pro-Hussein Obama and his keen love of all that is socialist.

[HarlemHeat37]

Durant tries way too hard..

At least they made his face more appealing for the cover, tbh..the great work of technology..

[Giuseppe]

^Amen to that, Har.

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

Durant is a safe choice over the "you know who's" and he did lead Team USA to the FIBA title. Nice compliment to him and his lesser known teammates.

[RsxPiimp]

Durant tries way too hard...
I know its a breath of fresh air to see an uber talented young athlete with this humility, but I agree, he does try too hard.

[hater]

All hail KD!!

KD Akbar!!

[Rummpd]

Just thankful it is not James or worse Bosh on the cover!

[hater]

Durant tries way too hard..

At least they made his face more appealing for the cover, tbh..the great work of technology..

facial acne smack talk, tbh... the great skill of Lebron Dicksuckers

[lefty]

Just thankful it is not James or worse Bosh on the cover!
Shhhhhht.......


SI may be reading this topic

[koriwhat]

durant's a real balla'!

[MiamiHeat]

now im getting turned off by this

hes going overboard. stop faking it KD.

[Jose Canseco]

Starting to hear too many "Kevin Durant is such a class guy" stories.

Can't wait until the stories about his crack addiction or gay boyfriend or how his acne was a mutant version of herpes start coming out.

Every "good guy" athlete will eventually get exposed as a jerk with skeletons in his closet. Fans should stop putting these people on pedestals.

[8FOR!3]

Nobody's putting Durant on a pedestal. But good people do exist and from the looks and sounds of it, he is one.

[koriwhat]

Starting to hear too many "Kevin Durant is such a class guy" stories.

Can't wait until the stories about his crack addiction or gay boyfriend or how his acne was a mutant version of herpes start coming out.

Every "good guy" athlete will eventually get exposed as a jerk with skeletons in his closet. Fans should stop putting these people on pedestals.

durant has been a "good guy" since college and possibly before that. i don't see him becoming anything other than the "good guy".

like i said, durant's a real balla'!

[Giuseppe]

Even if was starting to come out of his shell prior to Spring, Artest humbled his ass good & proper. He's probably humbled for at least another 2 years.

[Spurminator]

What an asshole, subjecting his teammates to the SI cover jinx like this. If you don't like them, just ask for them to be traded. This is cruel.

[Giuseppe]

I recall Thabo was gonna be yet another Kobe stopper.

Kobe showed him precisely where the bear shit in the buckwheat whilst Artest was beating Durant's ass to a frazzle.

Big shots.

[dickface]

UT-j_LSWM_A

[dirk4mvp]

this is such class! guy is a spur all the way!

[dickface]

y2IxEoOqqQY

[dickface]

XuCuohleiV0

[Spurfan]

this is such class! guy is a spur all the way!
I know :cry. Someone this classy is bound to be a Spur, a classy GM like Sam Presti just bringing class to another organization.

I know he'll never be on the Mavs because of how classy he is :cry

[nkdlunch]

Class or not Durant this summer has already surpassed anything Lebron and Kobe have done in the world stage.

He will probably surpass Lebron's NBA accomplishments in a couple of years and suprassing Kobe's will be tough as he probably will not play next to a HOF center every championship run.

But I tell you this out of those 3, my money is on Durant to be the first to get his team to a championship as the team's true leader and most important player.

[RsxPiimp]

Class or not Durant this summer has already surpassed anything Lebron and Kobe have done in the world stage.

:lol

[ogait]

People don't really know about them too much for some odd reason
Nenad Krstic got pretty well know after throwing a chair to a bunch of Greeks. Pure class right there.

[Leetonidas]

Class or not Durant this summer has already surpassed anything Lebron and Kobe have done in the world stage.

I love Durantula but c'mon, a gold medal in the Olympics >>>>> FIBA World Championship

[ALVAREZ6]

now im getting turned off by this

hes going overboard. stop faking it KD.

HAHA first thoughts that came to my mind...he's just riding the opportunity, and trying to completely contrast what people say about Lebron and other stars.




ESPN and other media outlets are blowing so much shit out of proportion it is retarded. There's so much focus on such irrelevant, stupid shit that's more due to the nature of players' and teams' situations rather than actual differences in these players.

People are stupid.

[history2b]

I predict Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder will eliminate the Spurs this year in the playoffs.

[nkdlunch]

I love Durantula but c'mon, a gold medal in the Olympics >>>>> FIBA World Championship

I was referring to him being the only superstar in team USA and leading his team to a medal pretty much singlehandedly.

Of course anyone can win Olympic gold in a team full of superstars as it happened in China.

[ALVAREZ6]

I was referring to him being the only superstar in team USA and leading his team to a medal pretty much singlehandedly.

Of course anyone can win Olympic gold in a team full of superstars as it happened in China.

It was not singlehandedly...that team had tons of great, athletic players...it's not like Durant was the ONLY player that could have done most of the scoring. The scoring was pretty spread from game to game, they had a lot of options as does any US team usually. I'm sure a lot of emphasis was put to make him the man on the team, but really they could win that tournament without Durant...or by substituting him with another player. They're all more athletic at every position than the teams they play, always have more talent (obviously), and really any star could have led that team.

The whole Durant - world championship 2010 shit was blown out of proportion in my opinion, a lot having to do with the interests of ESPN trying to sell nothing really, but sell nonetheless... sell a contrasting story from Lebron, and how the media and many people in and around the NBA favor him now, post "The Decision".

To me it was irrelevant, Durant scored over defenders much worse than he torches every night in the NBA, big deal. All of his roster alongside him were better than the other teams too.

[Baseline]

Love him. He's the anti-Kobe Bryant.

[z0sa]

KD is definitely one of the classiest guys in the NBA.

[Muser]

Idk why everyone is hating..people hate ESPN for sucking LeBron off, and then hate on Durant because he wants his teammates with him?

[nkdlunch]

It was not singlehandedly...that team had tons of great, athletic players...it's not like Durant was the ONLY player that could have done most of the scoring. The scoring was pretty spread from game to game, they had a lot of options as does any US team usually. I'm sure a lot of emphasis was put to make him the man on the team, but really they could win that tournament without Durant...or by substituting him with another player. They're all more athletic at every position than the teams they play, always have more talent (obviously), and really any star could have led that team.

The whole Durant - world championship 2010 shit was blown out of proportion in my opinion, a lot having to do with the interests of ESPN trying to sell nothing really, but sell nonetheless... sell a contrasting story from Lebron, and how the media and many people in and around the NBA favor him now, post "The Decision".

To me it was irrelevant, Durant scored over defenders much worse than he torches every night in the NBA, big deal. All of his roster alongside him were better than the other teams too.

:rolleyes

did you even watch the games? Durant carried that sorry team on his back.

who got MVP? who lead USA in minutes? scoring? The plus minus for Durant in that team is only comparable to Manu Ginobili and Argentina in 2005. Check the numbers.

My point is Lebron or Kobe would not have been able to do that. Kobe is too selfish and Lebron too much of a choker. Both would have quit at some point in the semifinals.

[Giuseppe]

But, when it counted Durant let Artest bend him over and get some mud on his turtle.

And you know it, Naked.

[nkdlunch]

But, when it counted Durant let Artest bend him over and get some mud on his turtle.

And you know it, Naked.

nothing that a Kobe sans a HOF center behind him hasn't experienced. tee hee

[ALVAREZ6]

:rolleyes

did you even watch the games? Durant carried that sorry team on his back.

who got MVP? who lead USA in minutes? scoring? The plus minus for Durant in that team is only comparable to Manu Ginobili and Argentina in 2005. Check the numbers.

My point is Lebron or Kobe would not have been able to do that. Kobe is too selfish and Lebron too much of a choker. Both would have quit at some point in the semifinals.
Yeah Lebron and Kobe wouldn't be able to post retarded numbers against Angola....

My point is, he had a much better team with him than everyone else, which is always the case when USA plays. It's expected. Leading USA in minutes...is that something impressive? No, that team had a lot of players at each position and they were a balanced team so it didn't matter as much for who surrounded Durant on the court. They had 5 guards that are 6'3"...that shows the rotation they had. And they all can ball. Take your pick, freak athlete a, freak athlete b, ...etc, etc. No shit he lead in minutes, he's the best scorer on that team and one of the best in the world. And for those two reasons, being the best offensive player and leader in minutes, of course he lead the team in scoring. This was obviously a concentration for that team.

On the other hand, Manu played with Nocioni, Scola, and Oberto. Not Billups, Rose, Westbrook, Curry, Odom, etc. Manu played against the United States, not for them...further illustrating he faced stronger teams with a weaker roster, not weaker teams with a stronger roster.


But back to the original point, I'm not taking anything away from Durant, I'm only giving my "meh, who cares, is this really such an accomplishment as media made it out to be" opinion. Further, Durant being the dominant offensive player that he is, the team was built around him. Clearly the goal was to surround him with many athletic players to complement him (and why wouldn't it be, he's arguably the best offensive player in the world). Given these obvious ideas, is it really a surprise that he lead the team in minutes (no), or in scoring (no)???

Was it that impressive that the by far best player in the tournament, surrounded by the by far best role and bench players, led his team to victory???

I don't think so.

[MannyIsGod]

:lol @ trying too hard.

I'd rather someone try too hard to rep their teamates than throw them under the bus by letting them find out he was fucking the during a 1 hour live show on ESPN.

[MannyIsGod]

Durant is the mfing truth.

[Muser]

:lol @ trying too hard.

I'd rather someone try too hard to rep their teamates than throw them under the bus by letting them find out he was fucking the during a 1 hour live show on ESPN.

At least someone gets it :tu

[ChrisRichards]

Yeah Lebron and Kobe wouldn't be able to post retarded numbers against Angola....


Actually...


Kobe couldn't post retarded numbers against Angola



He shot 4/13...4/13 against fucking Angola


:lmao:lmao:lmao



http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/basketball/men/boxscore?gameId=770

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol @ trying too hard.

I'd rather someone try too hard to rep their teamates than throw them under the bus by letting them find out he was fucking the during a 1 hour live show on ESPN.

How can you throw your teammates under the bus if you're an unrestricted free agent?..interesting theory..

Durant clearly tries too hard..this is the same guy that said he isn't a top 20 player in the NBA so that he can look more humble..clearly tries too hard..

[ChrisRichards]

Angola's starting SG Costa shot better and scored more than Kobe with fewer shots


A. Costa 3/4 FG 9 Pts
K. Bryant 4/13 (0-8 3FG) 8 Pts



:rollin

[ALVAREZ6]

:lol

I hope (and believe) you guys aren't taking that argument so literally with Kobe...it appears he did blow that game.


However, if you are, this is why you shouldn't, as these outperformed both Durant and Kobe, and area clearly far inferior:

Argentina vs. Angola
Scola: 32 points, 13-21 FG, 8 rebounds, 3 steals
Delfino: 22 points, 8-12 FG, 4 steals

http://espn.go.com/extra/fiba/boxscore/_/id/300832926/argentina-vs-angola


Clearly Angola blows and anyone can produce good numbers against them.

[ChrisRichards]

Anyone but Kobe, that is...I do get your point though.


I just cant believe someone would shoot 4/13 (31%) against Angola. Kobe has been horrible in the olympics and yet the media made it appear like he's the savior. Its disgusting.

[Giuseppe]

But, when it counted, he'd learned from the Phoenix event and shoveled to Artest.

Just like that.

[ALVAREZ6]

Anyone but Kobe, that is...I do get your point though.


I just cant believe someone would shoot 4/13 (31%) against Angola. Kobe has been horrible in the olympics and yet the media made it appear like he's the savior. Its disgusting.

Well this is one of my purposes for posting in this thread... the media.


And quite honestly it's only one game. It's against Angola but who cares...it's still one game. We see Manu come out and shoot terribly relatively often, I referenced Duncan going 1 for 10 with only 5 points on night not too long ago, but we know they're still great players.

Also, the roster in 2008 was pretty absurd...
Kobe, Lebron, Carmelo, Chris Paul, Howard, Bosh, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, LMAO are you kidding me. Point here: who gives a shit if he shot 31%, the team is not going to lose with all of these players on it.

I noticed he went 0-8 from three...and kobe tends to do this, chuck 3s to be the man and rack points when he isn't the best 3 point shooter.

[Giuseppe]

But, when it counted Bryant closed out Westbrook.

[ajh18]

Alright, lets get some things straight. Is Durant a perfect angel? I'm sure he's not. Has he done anything yet to demonstrate that he's arrogant, selfish, lacking empathy, not a team player, or anything else? Nope.

Sure, he's probably aware that these statements and actions are good for his image. But frankly, we don't know that he's not being totally genuine, and he hasn't given us any evidence to the contrary. Innocent until proven guilty, I say. So we give him the benefit of the doubt.


How can you throw your teammates under the bus if you're an unrestricted free agent?..interesting theory..

Durant clearly tries too hard..this is the same guy that said he isn't a top 20 player in the NBA so that he can look more humble..clearly tries too hard..

As for this, AGAIN, it's not WHAT Lebron did that's a problem, it's HOW. You can throw your teammates under the bus by treating them like fans and making them wait for your self-promoted tv special to learn what kind of work environment they'll have the next year. It's a lack of respect. That SHOULD be the problem that cleveland fans have too. So Lebron left. You deal with it. But he didn't have to do it on national tv, he didn't have to refer to himself in the third person five times in and hour, and he didn't have to claim that all that self promotion was done on behalf of the kids.

That's the saddest part of the Lebron situation. Until this summer, I gave him the benefit of the doubt too, and was a Lebron fan. After all the stuff that has come out this summer, and watching his behavior myself, I feel that he has demonstrated a degree of selfishness and ego promotion that make me no longer admire him.

Until a time when that happens to Durant, I'll support his actions. If even ONE kid is inspired by Durant to put his teammates first, be humble, and respect his community, then even if he is "trying," it's worth it.

And as a Spurs fan, I haven't lost faith that a pro-athlete and champion can be a genuinely good guy. After all, I grew up on David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

[MannyIsGod]

How can you throw your teammates under the bus if you're an unrestricted free agent?..interesting theory..

Durant clearly tries too hard..this is the same guy that said he isn't a top 20 player in the NBA so that he can look more humble..clearly tries too hard..

:lol @ your first statement as if the bonds of teammates are only created for the duration of a contract. I know that you go to extraordinary lengths to see just how far you can shove Lebron's cock down your throat but this is amazing even for you.

Whats clear here is that you think Durant tries too hard. Whats also clear here is that your judgment on these issues is incredibly suspect so I'm pretty you feeling that he tries too hard is an indication he's doing the right thing.

[MannyIsGod]

Alright, lets get some things straight. Is Durant a perfect angel? I'm sure he's not. Has he done anything yet to demonstrate that he's arrogant, selfish, lacking empathy, not a team player, or anything else? Nope.

Sure, he's probably aware that these statements and actions are good for his image. But frankly, we don't know that he's not being totally genuine, and he hasn't given us any evidence to the contrary. Innocent until proven guilty, I say. So we give him the benefit of the doubt.



As for this, AGAIN, it's not WHAT Lebron did that's a problem, it's HOW. You can throw your teammates under the bus by treating them like fans and making them wait for your self-promoted tv special to learn what kind of work environment they'll have the next year. It's a lack of respect. That SHOULD be the problem that cleveland fans have too. So Lebron left. You deal with it. But he didn't have to do it on national tv, he didn't have to refer to himself in the third person five times in and hour, and he didn't have to claim that all that self promotion was done on behalf of the kids.

That's the saddest part of the Lebron situation. Until this summer, I gave him the benefit of the doubt too, and was a Lebron fan. After all the stuff that has come out this summer, and watching his behavior myself, I feel that he has demonstrated a degree of selfishness and ego promotion that make me no longer admire him.

Until a time when that happens to Durant, I'll support his actions. If even ONE kid is inspired by Durant to put his teammates first, be humble, and respect his community, then even if he is "trying," it's worth it.

And as a Spurs fan, I haven't lost faith that a pro-athlete and champion can be a genuinely good guy. After all, I grew up on David Robinson and Tim Duncan.

Absolutely agree 100% on the 2nd part of your post. I wonder if Halem thinks that David Robinson "tries too had". :lol

[LoneStarState'sPride]

Goddamnit, I fucking love this kid! We gotta find a way to get him in a silver and black jersey eventually.

[Poirot]

:lol @ your first statement as if the bonds of teammates are only created for the duration of a contract. I know that you go to extraordinary lengths to see just how far you can shove Lebron's cock down your throat but this is amazing even for you.

Whats clear here is that you think Durant tries too hard. Whats also clear here is that your judgment on these issues is incredibly suspect so I'm pretty you feeling that he tries too hard is an indication he's doing the right thing.

I agree with HarlemHeat on this one. Just take the picture and shut up.

I'm not in any "camp," and I like Durant quite a bit. However, one thing about the NBA that turns me off is it's full of attention whores trying to make a non-story into a story. And the "nice guy" act is really overrated (Dwight Howard for instance). All I want is for these guys to stay out of trouble and play basketball. I don't need a constant PR campaign by Stern and the players themeselves reminding me what great personalities they have.

[picc84]

Durant is trolling Lebron.

[Poirot]

Until a time when that happens to Durant, I'll support his actions. If even ONE kid is inspired by Durant to put his teammates first, be humble, and respect his community, then even if he is "trying," it's worth it.


One of those dreaded buzz words in sports. Makes me gag. There's nothing "humble" about drawing attention to what should be a simple photoshoot.

[Ace]

Durant is making himself seem like a giant puss...

[Giuseppe]

...he watched the tapes of Artest showing him how.

[nkdlunch]

Yeah Lebron and Kobe wouldn't be able to post retarded numbers against Angola....

My point is, he had a much better team with him than everyone else, which is always the case when USA plays. It's expected. Leading USA in minutes...is that something impressive? No, that team had a lot of players at each position and they were a balanced team so it didn't matter as much for who surrounded Durant on the court. They had 5 guards that are 6'3"...that shows the rotation they had. And they all can ball. Take your pick, freak athlete a, freak athlete b, ...etc, etc. No shit he lead in minutes, he's the best scorer on that team and one of the best in the world. And for those two reasons, being the best offensive player and leader in minutes, of course he lead the team in scoring. This was obviously a concentration for that team.

On the other hand, Manu played with Nocioni, Scola, and Oberto. Not Billups, Rose, Westbrook, Curry, Odom, etc. Manu played against the United States, not for them...further illustrating he faced stronger teams with a weaker roster, not weaker teams with a stronger roster.


But back to the original point, I'm not taking anything away from Durant, I'm only giving my "meh, who cares, is this really such an accomplishment as media made it out to be" opinion. Further, Durant being the dominant offensive player that he is, the team was built around him. Clearly the goal was to surround him with many athletic players to complement him (and why wouldn't it be, he's arguably the best offensive player in the world). Given these obvious ideas, is it really a surprise that he lead the team in minutes (no), or in scoring (no)???

Was it that impressive that the by far best player in the tournament, surrounded by the by far best role and bench players, led his team to victory???

I don't think so.

again watch the games and you will see that USA opponents were actually competitive if not beating USA with Durant on the bench. Put Durant on the floor and USA starts shittting on everyone.

I don't understand how you post on the subject if you obviously did not watch the games. :rolleyes

here, I found Durant's plus minus in Turkey round 1. Now you gonna tell me he was not the difference maker by a mile??? USA is - vs some teams with Durant on the bench.

btw, in the later rounds the +/- are even more dramatic.

http://www.in-the-game.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/durantplusminus.jpg

[MiamiHeat]

Fuck Kevin Durant.

He's playing people now. He's riding this anti-LeBron "The Decision" stuff to get people to like him. It's fake as fuck and I used to like KD, but now I think he's acting like a fucking bitch.

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/si_online/covers/images/2008/1025_large.jpg

http://www.bevosports.com/images/kevin-durant-si-cover.jpg

http://blog.newsok.com/photo/files/2009/12/SLAMMagazine.jpg

http://kevindurant35.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/KD-EA-cover.png

http://kevindurant35.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/slam_world_hoops.jpg


Hey Kevin Durant,

go suck a cock you fucking pussy.

[Giuseppe]

That's just the worry wart in ya, Heat.

[SomeCallMeTim]

:lol @ the LeBronfanz and Kobefanz uniting to hate on Durant because KD is stealing some shine from their hero.

KD seems to be as genuinely a good guy as there is among stars in the NBA.

Hating him for it is like hating "Superstition" or Unforgiven. I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but when people hate certain things it reveals more about the hater than the hated IMO.

[Venti Quattro]

No Krstic and Thabo, no deal. Rings a bell :lmao :lmao :lmao

[MiamiHeat]

:lol @ the LeBronfanz and Kobefanz uniting to hate on Durant because KD is stealing some shine from their hero.

KD seems to be as genuinely a good guy as there is among stars in the NBA.

Hating him for it is like hating "Superstition" or Unforgiven. I guess everyone's entitled to their own opinion, but when people hate certain things it reveals more about the hater than the hated IMO.

http://kevindurant35.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/slam_world_hoops.jpg

[ezau]

Class or not Durant this summer has already surpassed anything Lebron and Kobe have done in the world stage.

He will probably surpass Lebron's NBA accomplishments in a couple of years and suprassing Kobe's will be tough as he probably will not play next to a HOF center every championship run.

But I tell you this out of those 3, my money is on Durant to be the first to get his team to a championship as the team's true leader and most important player.

He needs two rings to equal what Kobe has achieved.

[Giuseppe]

He also needs to get Artest out of the same pair of Fruits he's occupying.

tee, hee.

[ezau]

He also needs to get Artest out of the same pair of Fruits he's occupying.

tee, hee.

The Viets

[Giuseppe]

The Viets!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MannyIsGod]

:lmao at the Lebron fan butthurt in this thread. It really gets funnier every time someone makes another post about it.

[PM5K]

I like Durant but he's over doing it. He makes David Robinson look like a thug, lol.

[Poirot]

:lmao at the Lebron fan butthurt in this thread. It really gets funnier every time someone makes another post about it.

Yeah, whatever. Take your pick of NBA superstars, as almost all of them all prima-donnas. There are a few exceptions - Duncan, Nash...

[Killakobe81]

Durant tries way too hard..

At least they made his face more appealing for the cover, tbh..the great work of technology..

Man, harlem you are cold-blooded. LOL What did durant do to deserve your ire? Is it the anti-Lebron stuff? We ALL know Lebron is still the better player for now and probably at least the next few seasons ...

[Killakobe81]

I agree with HarlemHeat on this one. Just take the picture and shut up.

I'm not in any "camp," and I like Durant quite a bit. However, one thing about the NBA that turns me off is it's full of attention whores trying to make a non-story into a story. And the "nice guy" act is really overrated (Dwight Howard for instance). All I want is for these guys to stay out of trouble and play basketball. I don't need a constant PR campaign by Stern and the players themeselves reminding me what great personalities they have.

Great post. i dont blame durant though that is the media Kobe fell and is getting old ...and there was backlash vs. Lebron SO OF COURSE stern and the same media that blew up Lebron (and now are taking shots) are doing this for Durant. they want a young likeable star ...and the Durant agenda has been pushed. Look i like him to even more than Lebron BUT unless durant gets OKC a top 2 seed no way should he get the MVP over Lebron. Lebron does have a great cast but the MVP has consistently come from a top 2 seed in the conference ...It's Lebron's trophy to lose ...if he does and durant doesnt have top 2 seed the award is even more bullshit than it already is.

[Koolaid_Man]

now im getting turned off by this

hes going overboard. stop faking it KD.

say don't be getting mad cuz the nigga told Lebuns to fuck off on that party invite...

no way he would have turned down Kobe...nobody respects pussy ass Lebuns...and if they say they do...it's just for the cameras...:hat

[lefty]

The mother of all thread bumps

Right from deep hell archives

[Kool Bob Love]

:lmao

[Clipper Nation]

:lol The definition of fake humble.... FT35 doesn't give a fuck about his teammates, as he'll prove when he leaves OKC, but he pretends to be humble to appeal to LeBron haters :lmao

[HarlemHeat37]

Class or not Durant this summer has already surpassed anything Lebron and Kobe have done in the world stage.

He will probably surpass Lebron's NBA accomplishments in a couple of years and suprassing Kobe's will be tough as he probably will not play next to a HOF center every championship run.

But I tell you this out of those 3, my money is on Durant to be the first to get his team to a championship as the team's true leader and most important player.

Yikes..

[313]

Yikes..