Kevin Durant admits there's one accolade he'll never reach

Kevin Durant has started the 2024-25 NBA season off on a bit of a tear with the Phoenix Suns. He looks essentially as good as he ever has on the offensive end, and so far has put up 29 points per game while playing 40 minutes a night, both team highs.

Those kind of minutes so early in the season for a 36-year-old are actually somewhat of a concern, and the manner in which Durant has scored some of his points goes against the new, 3-point heavy offensive system of head coach Mike Budenholzer. Durant is shooting a sizzling 45.5 percent from deep though, so don't let JJ Redick's mind games fool you.

Durant though feels that one accolade will continue to elude him.

Durant recently appeared on the "Up & Adams" show on FanDuel TV, and the topic of getting a statue when he retires was brought up by host Kay Adams. Durant was as candid as always on these topics, giving a surprisingly honest answer on his chances of one day getting immortalized as Dwyane Wade now infamously was by the Miami Heat.

"I highly, highly doubt I get a statue of me put anywhere for playing basketball. I appreciate the love though, and the respect that people showed me, that's enough for me... it's usually those guys who got the Hall of Fame career, with the championships and you've been with one city for a long time. That's not the case for me."

Although Adams pointed out that Wade himself said that Durant is next - the player himself politely disagreed - explaining correctly that Wade is Miami basketball. Durant on the other hand is aware that he is a nomad in this league, and outside of that initial run with the Oklahoma City Thunder, has constantly moved in search of the right fit.

There are perhaps two ways Durant could ultimately be proven wrong though, and one of those is linked to the Suns. They're off to a nice start this season, although the scars from last year mean any talk of even a deep playoff run is off the cards for now. But suppose they did manage to win a championship, with Durant taking Finals MVP honors over Devin Booker.

Bringing an organization their first title - and being the best player on the court when it matters the most - is as good a reason as any to get a statue. Obviously Booker himself would be a more deserving individual to get the statue treatment if that were to happen, because like Wade he has been with one franchise for his whole career so far.

Suppose Durant were to somehow finish his career with the Seattle Supersonics though - rumored to be coming back as part of the league's expansion that should take in Seattle and Las Vegas - that becomes an interesting conversation to have. The Thunder would surely give the Sonics their history back, and it would bring Durant's career full circle.

An expansion team going from newcomers to champions - all while assuming a near 40-year-old Durant hasn't retired by then - isn't going to happen, but Durant would at least finish his career in theory with the same team he started it with. He wouldn't be beloved in the same way a Gary Payton is, but he would undoubtedly be the best player in franchise history again.

Really though Durant is right on this one, but he also represents the new age of basketball star as well. At a time when most stars move to try and win - even LeBron James did it on multiple occasions, it is just his relationship with the Cleveland Cavaliers is different - Durant was one of the first and most successful to do it. Whatever way you celebrate that, he'll be top of the queue when he retires.