5 NBA superstars that will never surpass Kobe Bryant all-time
2) Kevin Durant
One of the game's pantheon level players is among ever to lace them the 15 greatest to ever lace them up. Considered by some as the greatest scorer of all time is none other than Kevin Durant. Durant was an instant stud from day one as an automatic scoring machine who continued rounding out his game as he progressed. He was the youngest scoring champion in NBA history (21), winning four in his first six seasons, including three consecutive from 2010-12 that included a trip to the Finals alongside Harden and Westbrook, losing to the Heat in five games.
He gave us the inspirational MVP speech about his mom after winning his only MVP in 2014. The Thunder failed to reach the Finals again, having their best shot again in 2016, having a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals over the Golden State Warriors, but blew the lead. From there, Durant joined the team that beat him and set the NBA record for wins in a season (73-9), which shook the league up, and many critics questioned his competitive edge.
Despite the criticism, Durant led the Warriors to three consecutive finals (2017-19) and back-to-back titles (2017, 2018) en route to two Finals MVP trophies. He left the Warriors in 2019 after an altercation with Draymond Green earlier that season and did not want to be in the shadow of Stephen Curry for the rest of his career. He signed with the Brooklyn Nets, where he would play with Kyrie Irving initially, and Harden joined the fold later on via trade.
Durant hasn't gotten out the second round since leaving te Warriors after his Nets tenure being a soap opera and time on the Phoenix Suns alongside Devin Booker not leading to deep postseason success thus far. Durant is one of the greatest players of all time who's a more efficient scorer than Bryant. What he lacks that Bryant had is that killer mentality to rip his opponents heart out and leadership to get the best out of his teammates.
Bryant's ability to win back-to-back championships after Shaq left did wonders for his legacy, pushing Pau Gasol to new heights whom he credited on why he became a hall of famer due to Bryant pushing him to new heights. We have yet to see Durant do the same in his career. Can he win a title outside Curry's shadow? That remains to be seen.