Kevin Durant on Giannis Antetokounmpo: He could be the best player ever if he wanted to, he’s my favorite player to watch

Heat Central: Kevin Durant says Giannis Antetokounmpo is his favorite player to watch in the NBA: “Greek Freak probably the number 1 guy I like to watch. — Greek Freak I think is a force and I’ve never seen anything like him. His ceiling, he could be the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about but he’s by far my favorite player to watch”

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More on Kevin Durant: Recent HoopsHype Rumors

A February 4th game between the Celtics and the Houston Rockets served as an inflection point in Harper’s season; he started for the first time in his career, guarded Rockets star Kevin Durant, and showed himself — and the world — he belonged. It’s a game that Joe Mazzulla has pointed to as well in that it showcased Harper’s readiness and preparation. “The first time I really played meaningful minutes was when I started in Houston, and that kind of came to be because of the Anfernee trade, and it happened all really fast,” Harper said. “But I feel like after that game where I started and I played all those minutes, and I played well, I felt like after that point I felt like I’d be a real contributor to this team and a part of bringing this team back to the championship. So, that’s something I look forward to doing next year.” — 8/4/2026 Celtics Blog

Aly: Meanwhile Draymond Green on Threads: Slim thought he was on his burner? — 8/4/2026 x.com

The 2016-17 Warriors might be the greatest team of all time, but Kevin Durant believes the 2026-27 76ers are as good on paper. Durant implied that's what he thought during a USA Basketball event on Sunday, and he doubled down on Monday when replying to a fan on Instagram who said the two teams "ain't close." "Ain’t close lmao," Durant replied. "Joel, mvp recently. Jaylen brown, recent finals mvp, Tyrese Maxey, all star the last 3 years. We all know what bron does. Klay Thompson, never a mvp candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond, 14ppg 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph a mvp just like Joel was. I don’t get how the warriors team is better on paper." — 8/4/2026 Sports Illustrated

Legion Hoops: Klay Thompson didn’t appreciate KD’s comment on Instagram. “Aye man, u good? — 8/4/2026 x.com

Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker has weighed in on one of basketball's most popular debates, revealing his all-time NBA starting lineup. In a video posted to TikTok by chickenwrapcharge, Booker selected Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Shaquille O'Neal as his all-time starting five . — 8/4/2026 Clutch Points

Heat Central: Bam Adebayo names his top 5 players of all time: Kobe Bryant Steph Curry Michael Jordan Kevin Durant Tim Duncan No LeBron James ? — 8/3/2026 x.com

NBA Courtside: Joe Johnson says if he’s the Houston Rockets I’m taking that gamble on Russel Westbrook teaming back up with Kevin Durant: “I’m taking that gamble because look, think about this. Even if Fred VanVleet, I’m sure he will start the season, but damn, he just come off of ACL surgery. Y’all going to run him in the ground for 82 game. And what he going to be able to get you in the postseason? Nothing. So, you got to have some depth at that point guard position. Guys who know how to play, guys who know and understand the game and who can make the game easy for guys around him. So, I always think, bro, and when you look at him because he up in age, he always in great damn shape. And for me, y’all know me, bro. I’m a guy who loves a guy in great shape. You’re in great shape. You can play with me any day.” (Via @NightcapShow_ ) — 8/3/2026 x.com

Durant and James won gold medals as teammates in the 2012 London and 2024 Paris Olympics. "It's really on [USA Basketball managing director] Grant Hill and what Team USA wants to do," Durant said. "I stay on top of my game and hopefully I get that call, but there's so many great players who deserve to be on the team." — 8/1/2026 ESPN

James, 41, announced on July 24 that he would join the 76ers rather than the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers or Miami Heat after weighing his latest free agency move for more than three weeks. While Durant, 37, said he had no advance notice about the decision, he believes the growing buzz around the 76ers is "only going to help" grow interest in the NBA. "I didn't know at all," Durant said. "LeBron is stealth like that. I know there's a lot of noise around him, but you never know what's on his mind. I'm happy for him. It's a great decision for him to go to a team that has a good chance to win. Philly is a great fanbase, a great market, and it's great for the league. There were so many eyes that were tuned in to his decision." — 8/1/2026 ESPN

Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant said Saturday that LeBron James and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers have the offensive firepower to compete for the 2027 NBA championship. What's more, Durant evoked his two Golden State Warriors championship teams, which also featured Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, when praising the combined scoring prowess of Philadelphia's James, Jaylen Brown, Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. "The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the [Warriors] team I was on," Durant said at a USA Basketball event Saturday. "[The 76ers] have got four 25-point scorers on this team. So, hell yeah, I think they're going to be a contender. They're going to be a fun team to watch. It's going to be League Pass-worthy." — 8/1/2026 ESPN

This article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Kevin Durant on Giannis Antetokounmpo: He could be the best player ever if he wanted to, he’s my favorite player to watch

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