Kevin Durant has remained largely quiet on the social media front. No, no, not your usual stories, posts, and shares. But rather, his Achilles heel, picking fights with fans on social media. However, this time, pretty sure many would take his side. So what happened that triggered the ‘Slim Reaper’ this time?

The Lakers’ new rookie, Dalton Knecht, named KD as the best NBA player of all time during a slam rapid-fire round. Of course, with fans still going on with the GOAT debate between LeBron James and Michael Jordan, and others with Stephen Curry, Durant is often overlooked.

But it seems like the 23-year-old Tennessee star has his priorities straight. The viral video was posted by a KD fan page, duranthighlights, with the caption, “Los Angeles Lakers 17th pick Dalton Knecht really picked Kevin Durant as his best NBA player of all-time! Wonder what LeBron has to say.” 

And now the game begins! A user, shwnhouse, had a few things to say about Knecht’s choice. While he claimed to be a fan of the 2x champion, this user had one problem with the veteran forward. “KD MENTALITY. He has no sense of awareness or aggression or hunger to genuinely want to BE the best player, and as KD fans it’s the worst and most frustrating think you can ask for. You see the talent, you know it’s there, but will and can he go all out to dominate like Lebron, Kobe, Jordan Shaq etc? No, he’ll let Ant get in his face and stand in the corner when it’s time to win game. Smh.”

Be honest, now. How can Kevin Durant not respond to something like this? And respond he did! Here goes our easymoneysniper. “u lames don’t know my mentality, the kobes Lebrons and shaqs already stamped me and here go Shawn talkin like he hooped and like he’s respected for his basketball knowledge. I hate u psycho analyzers, wit a passion.”

Knecht’s interest in the lethal scorer that KD is comes as no surprise. A sharpshooter himself, Dalton will certainly have to work to reach the three-level scorer that Durant pulls off. And the team he’s with now no doubt should help him achieve that goal. Considering he spent five years in college, Dalton Knecht, an NBA-ready candidate, was perfect for the Purple & Gold’s needs. Of course, their glaring need for a shooter should also be taken care of, to an extent, with him.

Going back to Durant, let’s take a look at the stamp of approvals from the basketball greats.

What did LeBron, Kobe, and Shaq have to say about Kevin Durant?

It was during a 2019 appearance in The Corp with A-Rod and Big Cat that the ‘Black Mamba’ showered KD with high praise. When asked who was the toughest guy the 5x champion had to defend, he immediately said, “Kevin Durant.” But Kobe didn’t stop there. “That was the one that I retired without really being able to figure out.” 

The next on the list is LeBron James. After one of those games where the Suns were without both Devin Booker and Bradley Beal, James only had good things to say of the old friend. “He’s always been a natural-born scorer. There’s certain guys who come into this league — that’s what they do, and there’s nothing you can do about it. … Kevin Durant is one of those guys. You just hope that they miss.“

As for Shaquille O’Neal, you know the NBA legend and Durant have tussled occasionally. However, the big man does give credit where credit is due. And that opportunity came when the 2014 MVP surpassed him on the all-time scoring list. “First of all, I want to say congratulations for passing me to become eighth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, well deserved. But you know it doesn’t stop here. I probably see you at—let’s see if you can get to No. 1. Congratulations, brother, job well done. I knew it was gonna get done, if anybody was going to pass me, it was definitely going to be you.” 

So, there you go. All the stamps of approvals are accounted for. What do you guys think of Durant’s latest exchange with the fan? Let us know your thoughts below.

 Before you go, though, be sure to check this video of Leonardo Armato’s take on the deadly duo, Shaq- Kobe beef. Don’t forget to check back in for more such updates from our exclusive ES Fancast!