3 Time NBA champion believes Durant should be in GOAT conversation

When all is said and done, Kevin Durant is going to go down as a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. If he is able to help lead the Phoenix Suns to a first ever NBA Championship before calling it a career, he may even be a top five player in franchise history as well.

Durant's time in the league has largely coincided with the ascension of LeBron James to the top, as well as Stephen Curry changing the game with his shooting ability. Joining Curry to win his only two championships also leaving a sour taste in the minds of many fans. Despite his incredible talents, he's probably never been the guy in the NBA.

Not that a three-time champion wants to hear all of that noise, and instead wishes to see Durant get his flowers while he's still playing.

That player would be James Worthy, one of the best forwards of his generation and a crucial part of those special, "Showtime" Los Angeles Lakers teams of the 80s. Worthy knows a thing or two about greatness having played with Magic Johnson and against Larry Bird - to name only two - and believes Durant is firmly in the conversation of best players to ever do it.

In an entertaining interview with Clutch Points while supporting the Harold and Carole Pump Foundation Gala - which you can check out here - Worthy's two word answer on Durant's case summed up his feelings on the subject perfectly. Asked if he was in the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) debate, Worthy simply responded with "I do".

Expanding further he continued, "I've loved him since Texas. If I'm choosing somebody, he might be… you know, Steph (Curry) shoots the three, but Durant is cold-blooded at his height. And I think because there's so much attention on other players right now... he hasn't been forgotten about, but he's just been schmoozing along and he still can put up numbers."

Hard as it might be to fathom in 2024, there was a time when Durant displaying the handles and scoring ability of a guard in college despite being a legit seven footer was something that hadn't really been seen before. Perhaps not on the level of "alien" that Victor Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is to today's fans, but not far off.

Winning the scoring title four times - while shooting over 38 percent from deep throughout his career - really adds to the case Durant has built for himself. He's a true one-of-one. Worthy waxed lyrical about the the scoring abilities of the 35-year-old, while also pointing out that he is a better defensive player than he has ever been given credit for.

"I just love his range, the way he can move out to the three, you can't stop him in the mid-range game, he's a pretty good defensive player, and he doesn't get talked enough about. If you're talking like top seven guys who can be the greatest of all time, he's in there in my opinion. He's just a phenomenal player."

This is a brave call by Worthy, because players like LeBron, Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant have the storybook career arcs that add weight to their legacy. All Durant ever did was leave a good situation to join a better one in order to win championships. Something James also did, but which time has forgotten as a result of going back home and winning one for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Unfortunately Durant will likely never crack that final tier of players in the eyes of many - even if he were to win another championship - but in Worthy at least, he's got one fan out there who believes on his day he is as good as any player that ever picked up a basketball. Which he is, and the Suns will hope he still has a bit more left in the tank.