Kendrick Perkins Chooses Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Best Player Over Former Teammate Kevin Durant in the NBA

Some debates in the NBA circles are never-ending. The ‘GOAT’ debate is something that will go on forever. Another debate that hasn’t reached a conclusion is the ‘best player in the NBA right now. Many feel LeBron James and Stephen Curry are still the best, while others feel it’s someone between Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The latest to join the Durant-Giannis bandwagon are Stephen A. Smith and Kendrick Perkins.

Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Bucks win only their 2nd NBA championship and ended their 50-year-old championship drought. The ‘Greek Freak‘ subsequently became the Finals MVP unanimously.

Meanwhile, ESPN recently adjudged Durant as the best player in the NBA. However, former Celtics guard Kendrick Perkins was unhappy with the top 10 rankings released by ESPN and felt that Giannis deserves to top those rankings.

WATCH THIS STORY: LeBron James, Kevin Durant & Other NBA Players Who Bagged Lucrative Endorsement Shoe Deals as Rookies

Kendrick Perkins feels Antetokounmpo is ahead of Kevin Durant

Former Boston Celtics star Kendrick Perkins appeared in a recent episode of ‘First Take‘ on ESPN. In the show, Stephen A. Smith said that Durant is the best player in the NBA.

However, Perkins disagreed and said that Antetokounmpo will be the best for the next decade. Perkins has shared the video of the debate on his Twitter and reiterated that ‘Greek Freak’ is the best currently.

“Two-time MVP, Defensive Player of the Year in the same year. Joins the company of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. And what was the knock on Giannis? That he did not complete the mission. But now that he has not only completed it, he dominated. Down 0-2, coming back, winning four straight, averaging 35, 13, along with 1.5 blocks. And let’s not talk about game six,” Perkins said.

“We have to deal with this brother for the next 10 years. Six of those years, he is going to dominate the league and be the most dominant player, which might put him in the category of being the best player in the league over the next five to six years. The last four of those years on the backend, he’s going to have a really good four years.”

Antetokounmpo-led Bucks defeated Kevin Durant’s Nets in the Conference semifinals last season. The ‘Greek Freek’ posted monstrous numbers and averaged 31.9 PPG, 12.9 RPG, and 3.6 APG in the seven-game series against the Nets. Even Durant was at his best but couldn’t help the Nets in winning the series.

However, he scored 48 points in the final, including a two-pointer that sent the game to overtime. But the Bucks managed to win in the extra time and booked a place in the Conference Finals.

Durant has recently signed a contract extension with the Bucks and has set his sights on the third NBA championship of his career. The Nets have assembled a ‘super team’ for the coming season and are being touted as the top contender for the 2021-22 NBA championship.

READ MORE – How Giannis Antetokounmpo is Living Up to Kevin Durant’s 2017 Prediction For Him