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Lakers Nation > Blog > Lakers News > Kevin Durant Believes Player Can’t Be Considered Better Than Michael Jordan Without First Passing Kobe Bryant
Lakers News

Kevin Durant Believes Player Can’t Be Considered Better Than Michael Jordan Without First Passing Kobe Bryant

Matthew Moreno
Published: 07/27/2018
2 Min Read
Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Lakers
Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
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While there has long been a general consensus that Michael Jordan is the best player of all-time, the conversation has grown to include LeBron James as he enters a 16th season and is coming off playing all 82 games for the first time in his career.

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Before James, the likes of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant were among some of the most-mentioned names when discussing who might have supplanted Jordan at the top. Fact of the matter is, there isn’t necessarily one definitive answer.

That aspect is what’s led to the debate carrying on with no end in sight. So too is the fact that current and former players, as well as media and fans, tend to carry on the conversation.

For Kevin Durant, there’s no question Jordan first on the top of the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.

Durant was then asked when Jordan might be surpassed, to which he responded Bryant must be cleared first, and he included the five-time champion on his Mount Rushmore as the second-best player of all-time, via the “Pull Up with CJ McCollum” podcast:

“They gotta get past Kobe first. … MJ, Kobe, Kareem, Bird (named on Durant’s Mount Rushmore).”

Durant’s sentiment is identical to that of Allen Iverson, who questioned why Bryant gets overlooked and bypassed when comparing players to Jordan. What’s not argued is Bryant was the closest thing the league has seen to Jordan.

Though Durant and Iverson are aligned, they have trended toward becoming the minority opinion with each season James continues to play at a high level.

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TAGGED:Kevin DurantKobe BryantLos Angeles Lakers
ByMatthew Moreno
Matthew Moreno is a journalist from Whittier, Calif., who is a credentialed reporter and is currently the Managing Editor of DodgerBlue.com and LakersNation.com. In addition to covering Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angels Lakers games, Matthew has a strong passion for keeping up to date with the sneakerhead culture. It began with Michael Jordan and Air Jordan shoes, and has carried over to Kobe Bryant's signature line with Nike. Matthew previously was the lead editor and digital strategist at Dodgers Nation, and the co-editor and lead writer at Reign of Troy, where he covered USC Trojans Football. Matthew graduated from California State Long Beach University with a major in journalism and minor in communications. Contact: matt@mediumlargela.com
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