Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant was recently compared to NBA legend Larry Bird.
For the most part, Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant is one of the greatest scorers to adorn hardwoods.
Even with a 6’11 inch build, Durant is a fluid scorer who could influence the outcome of any night’s game.
But what if KD played in the 1980s instead of Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird? Well, Patrick Beverly shared his two cents in a hypothetical scenario.
Bird’s rivalry with the legendary Magic Johnson of the La Lakers is widely believed for reviving the NBA’s popularity among fans.
Separately, Bird has an incredible individual career, winning three NBA championships. The Celtics legend was a sensational scorer, but Beverly believes that the slim Shinigami is above him.
“I don’t think it’s close, KD. What are we talking about? If Kevin Durant was playing when Larry Bird was playing, he would average 50.
“I guess Kevin Durant would have been. Who would you put him? At the time, four were traditional four,” Beverly said on the podcast.
Beverly’s take sparked much debate in the NBA community, with many calling him for a controversial statement about birds.
Aside from NBA fans, even former player Eddie Johnson attacked to essentially underestimate Bev.
“And I’ll go out on the record and say that in the ’80s I was in the Continental Basketball Association, not the NBA,” Johnson writes to X.
He added: “KD was amazing in the ’80s, but how good Larry Bird is is zero. Zero!”
Johnson gave Durant his flowers, but he was angry with Beverly for not knowing the abilities of birds in the hardwoods.
As always, fans will be split into statements. With that in mind, moving forward as much as possible is to stop comparing players from different eras and acknowledge the greatness of the individual.