Giannis Antetokounmpo mercilessly trolled Kevin Durant for joining ‘superteams’ to bolster his chances of winning a championship. The latter recently joined the Phoenix Suns after a disappointing stint with the Brooklyn Nets.
Antetokounmpo has gone all-in on Durant jumping ship frequently since his move to the Warriors in 2016 on “The Daily Show,” saying:
“You keep joining superteams to win an NBA title. How about we work out together sometime so I can teach you how to carry your own team.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo stuck with the Milwaukee Bucks throughout his career and turned them into perennial contenders. He helped them win the championship in 2021 after winning the finals by a 4-2 margin against Durant’s new team, the Phoenix Suns.
Durant won two championships and the finals MVP award on both occasions. However, there is an asterisk to those wins. The Warriors were already the hot favorites and came off a 72-9 season when KD joined them.
Kevin Durant joined the Brooklyn Nets and formed a superteam with Kyrie Irving as his co-star. After missing the first season as a Net due to injury, Durant returned the following year. Brooklyn added James Harden to the fold, leaving fans and critics once again questioning KD’s ability to win without a super team.
Things didn’t work out in Brooklyn for many reasons, forcing Durant’s hand to request a trade at the deadline and join the Phoenix Suns, another top contender stacked with star players.
Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo could meet in the finals
Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant have played in the same conference for the last three seasons. They met once in the playoffs, with the former claiming the bragging rights after leading the Bucks to a 4-3 series win over the Nets.
Durant moved to the Western Conference at the trade deadline to the Suns and could face Giannis and the Bucks on the grandest stage. The two franchises are among the favorites to win their respective conferences, so there is a great chance we could witness them locking horns in June this year for a seven-game series.
The Milwaukee Bucks boast a league-best 43-17 record, while the Phoenix Suns are fourth in the Western Conference with a 33-29 record. Kevin Durant is yet to make his debut as he continues on the road to recovery from an MCL injury he suffered in January.
The Suns could soar up the rankings in his presence, especially with Devin Booker playing at an MVP-caliber level and Chris Paul recently rediscovering his mojo.
