Before the Oklahoma City Thunder battled the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, reigning MVP Kevin Durant sat down with USA Today to praise former Team USA teammate Kobe Bryant’s work ethic and dedication to his craft after Mamba passed Michael Jordan for third on the all-time scoring list. KD also dispelled any speculation that he or any other player would not want to play alongside Bryant because of his often criticized leadership and demeanor among teammates.
Durant obviously respects and admires the path that players like Kobe trailed before him, which is not only reflected in his words, but through his game as well. Currently, Durant is one of the NBA superstars building his own impact on the game, adding to his legacy each and every season. Like Bryant, Durant is climbing up the all-time scoring list as well, and he hit a momentous mark on Tuesday night in Sac-Town.
At 26 years and 78 days old and playing in his 550th game, KD became the second youngest player – behind LeBron James – to score 15,000 career-points by hitting a pretty fadeaway jump-shot in the first quarter:
Durant finished with 26 points on 12-25 shooting while his partner in crime, Russell Westbrook, added 36 points, seven dimes, and six rebounds in OKC’s 104-92 win over the Kings.
Congrats, KD!
(Video via NBA)
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