National Basketball Association

Will a title make Kevin Durant the NBA's best player?

Published Apr. 7, 2023 6:54 p.m. ET

Kevin Durant is one of the NBA's best players.

But at 34 years old, and with a host of young players at the heights of their prime, it's hard to argue that he's the singular best. Nonetheless, some folks believe that pushing the Phoenix Suns over the hump to an NBA title could vault his own name into that category.

What does Chris Broussard have to say about that notion? The "First Things First" cohost argued that age is of the essence.

"At 34?" he questioned Friday on the show.

"At 34 years old he's going to be the best player in the league? … He's not bad at anything, but he's only great at one thing. And that is scoring the basketball. He's a good defender, not a great one. He's a good passer and playmaker, not a great one. He's a solid rebounder. Giannis Antetokounmpo … does he shoot like KD? Of course not, but he scores more than KD, he does it as efficiently as KD, he gets to the foul line a lot more than KD. He's arguably the best defender in the league, rebounding he's better … he actually gets more assists than KD."

Nick Wright concurred with Broussard's vote for Giannis, but argued that his hold on the title is not as strong as it once was.

"If Steph [Curry| wins the title this year, he gets to be called the best player," Wright said. "He'd be the best player on consecutive champions where he is clearly the only superstar on that team at this point or last year.

"I believe Giannis is the best player in the league. … A year ago, there was nothing anyone could do in my opinion in the postseason to take the title from Giannis. Because, he was at that point, less than a year from not only dominating regular seasons, but having a thoroughly dominant postseason. I think the ‘best player alive’ championship belt is up for grabs. The guy who has it right now, after losing last year in round two, if in consecutive years, his team falls short of its seed, I don't think it's such a gap. … [Joel] Embiid might have an argument at the end of this postseason. Nikola [Jokić] could have an argument. … The way you hold the title is either winning consistent MVPs, getting your team deep into the playoffs every single year, or just being head-and-shoulders better than everyone."