"All that extra s**t like, ‘You got to win before you retire and make sure your legacy is straight,’ that’s bull***t to me” – Kevin Durant expounds on what legacy means to him
Kevin Durant will go down in NBA history as one of the greatest players to ever play in the league. Durant has accumulated a long list of accomplishments during his 16-year career. Durant recently sat down with Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report and had a discussion about his career.
Part of the discussion was about Durant’s legacy. How will people remember Kevin Durant’s career when it's all over? How will his achievements compare to other all-time greats? Durant has his own thoughts on what should define his legacy.
"All that extra s--t like, ‘You got to win before you retire and make sure your legacy is straight,’ that’s bulls--t to me." - Kevin Durant
Durant is referring to the notion that you have to win a championship before you retire to secure your legacy. Kevin Durant does have two NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors, but even those come with some criticism.
During the interview, Durant expanded on his idea of legacy. He credits himself for being able to play with different players and still being a good player.
"Being able to play with Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry and Kyrie and still be me. Yeah, that's my legacy. That's who I am. That's what I bring to the game." - Kevin Durant
"I can play with anybody, anywhere, at any time, and you know I'm going bring it every day. That should be my legacy." - Durant
Kevin Durant has played for three teams in his career and has found success at each stop. Even though he has only won titles with the Warriors, the runs the Nets and Thunder did provide good playoff runs. His time with the Nets may prove to be disappointing, but the story is still being written there.
Kevin Durant has done It all in basketball
Durant has reached almost every milestone a player can reach in an NBA career. He is a two-time champion with the Warriors and was a two-time finals MVP. Durant is a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team and is a four-time scoring champion.
Kevin Durant's Achievements http://t.co/BgifDF0fwT
He has been a significant player in the league on all three of the franchises he has played for. Durant is a 10-time All-NBA selection. The only years he wasn’t All-NBA was his first two years in the league and the 2019-20 that he missed due to his ruptured achilles injury. The 2007-08 Rookie of the Year and 2013-14 league MVP has been a one of the league's most consistent superstars.
Durant has even been successful in international basketball. He has been on three Olympic gold medal winning teams and on the 2010 World Championship team, all representing team USA. During the 2010 World Championships, Durant was named MVP.