Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history for 75th anniversary

Ranking the 75 best players in NBA history: No. 15 – Kevin Durant

Career: 2007 – present

Achievements: Two-time champion; 2013-14 MVP; All-NBA (9x); All-Star (11x); Finals MVP (2x); Scoring champion (4x); 31st in career scoring (total) and fifth in career scoring (per-game)

Another active player other than Stephen Curry with the best chance to make it into the Top 10 is Kevin Durant, Curry’s onetime teammate on the Golden State Warriors. After racking up individual accolades, including MVP, with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant went to the Warriors for three seasons to acquire the team accolades. Now he is in Brooklyn and poised to gather both at the same time.

Durant is one of the purest scorers in the history of the league. He has the height of a center and the handle of a guard, and his pull-up jumper is so high it’s virtually unblockable. He is a dynamic shooter from anywhere on the court, but get too close and he will blow by for a thundering dunk down the lane. Defensively he is no pushover, with his length and instincts eliminating passing lanes.

A couple of injuries, including an Achilles tear that took out an entire season, might hold him back from catching Kareem and LeBron on the all-time points leaderboard, but at just 33 he still has plenty of years left to climb the ranks. If he wins another MVP and a title while in Brooklyn he will likely push his way into the Top 10.