Kevin Durant: ‘I felt like I had beef with Kobe Bryant but he didn’t even know I had this beef’

James Harden passed Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list Saturday night. Kevin Durant had mentioned the Celtic legend on his most recent episode of the ETCs, a podcast that he hosts on The Boardroom Podcast Network. He described some of the impacts of older generations on the game and how it has created the culture.

Durant understands the rivalry between players when it is time to play. Everyone desperately wants to win. Although many of these moments aren’t displayed during the regular season, tension always ratchets up in the playoffs when games matter more. In the past, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird challenged each other and things weren’t always friendly. When Michael Jordan came into the picture, just forget about the idea of a friendship if you were going up against him on the court.

“The Magics, the Birds, the Jordans, they created that brotherhood amongst the league,” Durant said.

Younger generations grew up watching these bitter rivals leaving it all out on the court even if it meant not being friendly all the time. Basketball fans eventually witnessed how these basketball legends ended up admiring each-other’s games as time passed. Instead of displaying hate for one another, they displayed appreciation for one another and that brotherhood between them inspired younger generations.

This didn’t change Durant’s mentality to want to belong in the league however as a youngster.

“I felt like I had a beef with Kobe Bryant but he didn’t even know I had this beef — as you get older you look at these guys as just sharpening you and making you better.

…. When Bron goes to score 50 points or James Harden has 60 points, I’m looking at … how can I top it just to be better … how can I maintain that level I was on too — it’s a healthy competition.”