Asked which active player would you start a franchise with today, NBA general managers had Giannis Antetokounmpo among the top selections. Earlier this summer Kobe Bryant issued out a challenge to the Milwaukee Bucks forward to win 2017-18 Kia MVP. That happened not too long after Kevin Durant said “it’s guaranteed” last season’s Most Improved Player will be an MVP one day.
The Warriors All-Star went a few steps further on Friday during a Q-and-A session on his YouTube channel, claiming Antetokounmpo could end up being the greatest player to ever step on the court.
“The Greek Freak, I think, is a force. I’ve never seen anything like him,” Durant said. “His ceiling is probably — he could end up being the best player to ever play if he really wanted to. That’s pretty scary to think about.”
Durant added: “He’s by far my most favorite player to watch.”
Antetokounmpo, 22, is coming off the best campaign of his young career, posting 22.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.9 blocks and 1.6 steals, which were career highs in every category. He became just the fifth player in league history (and the first since LeBron James in 2008-09) to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks last season.