Phoenix Suns superstar forward Kevin Durant recently became only the eighth player in NBA history to score at least 29,000 career points. Durant is also eighth on the league’s all-time scoring list and 10th overall in the combined NBA-ABA all-time scoring leaderboard.
But while there are still names above KD in the record books, ESPN analyst and 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins considers “Durantula” the “greatest scorer to ever touch the basketball,” putting him ahead of everybody, including the GOAT and 10-time scoring champion Michael Jordan.
“In my eyes, KD is the greatest scorer to ever touch the basketball,” said Perk on the All the Smoke podcast. “He’s the most efficient. He has zero flaws offensively. No holes, the handles, the skills, the layup package, the finishing around the basket, mid-range, turn-around, one-legged shots, hesy-pull-up threes, however, you want it, it’s there. Name me somebody that’s in that tier?”
Durant checks all the boxes
Perkins said Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, and MJ are the other all-time greats, who, for him, are at par with Durant as far as putting points on the board. However, he said he couldn’t put Melo on top because he was not an efficient scorer.
Big Perk also dismissed Kobe as his greatest scorer ever because the Black Mamba ranks second behind LeBron James in most field goals missed all-time. That left the former Boston Celtics big man with KD and MJ for his top spot.
“Jordan shot with like 50% from the field for his career, though. That’s why, to me, it’s KD then Jordan. But KD is 6’11”, seven-foot. I’m not mad at anybody and that was no knock on Kobe, Kobe is in my Top 5. But I’m saying, when you talk about number one, you got to check all the boxes. He checks all the boxes,” the retired center added.
KD explained why he is the most efficient scorer ever
Meanwhile, KD has never claimed the title of “greatest scorer ever” for himself. But after he reached the 29,000th point plateau earlier this season, he talked about what sets him apart from the players who are with him in the all-time points leaderboard.
“That’s the story,” Durant told Sportskeeda. “That’s the story that you should be telling: ‘KD only took that many shots and only played that many games.’ If you look at the shot attempts of the guys on that list? When you see me again, let me know what you see when you see the shot attempts. Everybody on that list versus me. That’s the story.”
With a career 50.1 percent shooting percentage, Durant is easily the most efficient scorer of all time. But with “The Slim Reaper” still putting up 27.1 points per game this season at the age of 36 and in the manner that he is doing it right now, Big Perk does have a solid argument to put him ahead of everybody else.