Kevin Durant has been one of the greats for a long time now. He has proved himself over the years and it is not an overstatement to say that his career graph has been one of amazement. His surge as a superstar in the NBA has been inspirational. His stardom grew when he joined the historic team the Golden State Warriors. However, he got his due recognition way before that.?
The 2000s were predominantly the era for Kobe Bryant?s excellence and the rise of LeBron James. But amidst all this KD was always the silent superstar, who did not have as much fan following when he started out but made his place at the top players? table.?
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KD grew into an all-time great as Kobe?s career came to an end and LeBron had already established himself in the GOAT debate.
WATCH THIS STORY: KD talking about Stephen Curry.
Their careers intertwined with each other and it is fair to say that they all respected one another. It was only obvious for KD to know the dynamics and progression of Kobe?s career.
Kevin Durant talks about the change in Kobe Bryant?s game
During a long and elaborated exchange on Twitter with fans, KD tweeted about the legacy of Kobe Bryant. He also talked about the evolution of Kobe as a player.
Individual excellence. At every facet of the game – and the height you’ve achieved is perhaps the highest anybody ever has. Kobe is my favorite player ever – the diff between him in 05-06 vs 08-09 as an example is he imprinted his personality on every single player https://t.co/EB0KaWZ3Zi
— Daman Rangoola (@damanr) June 13, 2022
Ima be real, bean would tell u the difference between him in 06 and him 09 was the addition of pau Gasol and having a chance to really chase a chip. https://t.co/7LJqttF41d
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 13, 2022
How do you study the game and not know the improvements kobe made to his game to be a championship player after shaq? https://t.co/4SwBhfb9y9
— Incognito Holiday (@jrueitup) June 13, 2022
Lol Kobe was already a championship player man cut it out https://t.co/DNojdut0Fp
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 13, 2022
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KD talked about how Kobe really had to change when Pau Gasol joined him in the Lakers. However, he had no doubts that Kobe was already a proven winner. KD said that he was already a championship player, an opinion which was followed by ?cut it out?. He agreed to the fact that as Shaquille O’Neal left the Lakers, Kobe had to adjust his game.
With Shaq, their roles were defined and the duo was unstoppable. But it wasn?t until Pau Gasol?s arrival that Kobe had a partner who would compliment him. So Kobe had to add a few tweaks in his game over time which never meant a lack of quality but only meant that Kobe was evolving as a player.
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ALSO READ: ?God? Kevin Durant Admits Teams Were Helpless in Guarding Kobe Bryant in His Lakers Prime
The conversation on Twitter was about the mentality of players and the value of a sense of leadership. The conversation was brought to KD?s notice when a fan tweeted about his leadership skills and he asked the fan himself about what his skills were. Then the topic of Kobe came to light. And KD was adamant in his opinion.
