A statue is a way of immortality for NBA players. Not many will see the day of becoming a permanent part of a franchise’s history in this way. Think of all the Heat legends. Still, it was the icon that embodied the ‘Heat Culture’ better than anybody who had his silhouette posted outside the Kaseya Center. It was none other than Dwyane Wade who watched his statue unveiled in front of a great crowd. It posed the question – who comes next?

Wade himself gave his opinions and the obvious names of this era came up. The three horsemen – LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are the ones he nominated. Most would agree with this list, but the Slim Reaper still has some doubts. His accolades are worthy of being forever etched in the league’s rich history. However, when it came to guessing an organization, the 36-year-old couldn’t name one.

“I highly highly doubt I get a statue of me put anywhere for playing basketball,” he told Kay Adams. The host had a humorous take on the same. She felt he wanted to avoid a situation that occurred with Wade, seeing the massive wave of scrutiny his statue was receiving. But that doesn’t reside in Durant’s mind.

To him, a statue is the ultimate honor reserved for very few. When justifying Wade’s nod, he spoke highly of the impact he had in Miami and the admiration he earned from the fans. “He is Miami. He is the Heat. So it’s a different case with him. There’s very few players that get that kind of love in a city like that. So it’s usually those guys who got the Hall of Fame career with championships,” Durant said of the same.

Wade of course spent the majority of his career in Vice City, even returning for his final years in the league. He broke the championship drought, and formed an enthralling trio with James and Bosh. With him came the onset of glory and triumph in Miami. And the same was reciprocated to him by the city.

Will Kevin Durant be next in line for something as grand?

Will Kevin Durant get a statue?

According to the benchmark set by Durant, championships are vital in amounting to a statue in any province. For him, he has two titles and the Finals MVP for them. However, they both came with the Warriors, where he only spent three seasons. So the 14-time All-Star doesn’t think he can get it there. “That’s not the case for me but I can see it for a couple of other guys in the league,” he said.

However, while a championship does adorn a career within a franchise, one’s efforts to chase the feat should be considered. For those reasons, the Oklahoma City Thunder might be an organization that does put a statue of KD outside their arena.

A simple look at his tenure might make a compelling case. It was his longest NBA stint to begin with, spanning nine years. In that time, he displayed nothing but finesse and precision. First, as part of the Sonics, Durant won ROTY. Then from his third season, there was a stretch of five seasons when he earned All-NBA First Team honors.

In what is considered the most dashing young core comprising of him, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, as an MVP he led the team to an NBA Finals appearance losing to LeBron James’ Heat. In his last season, they came close again, losing in seven games against the Warriors after leading 3-1 in the series.

During his career with the Thunder, Kevin Durant would boast averages of 27.4 points, 7 rebounds, and 3,7 assists. Aside from Nick Collison (14 seasons) and Brodie, who played 11 seasons, Durant’s nine years is the third longest span a player spent with the franchise. By those metrics alone, Kevin Durant is statue-worthy from a personal perspective.

What are your thoughts though?