Kevin Durant blasted a fan for claiming the EuroLeague is better than the NBA.
Kevin Durant and beefing with fans on social media is a tale as old as time. After EuroLeague player Kyle Hines absurdly claimed that the EuroLeague is chess compared to the NBA being checkers, a fan went one step further.
The fan commented saying the EuroLeague is better than the NBA and got a response from an incredulous Kevin Durant. Durant wrote, “F**k outta here lmao. Y’all are insane.”
Fuck outta here lmao. Y’all are insane
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 23, 2023
The fan wasn’t done arguing though, writing, “Yall don’t play no damn defense. The game is constructed to score and that’s it… We watch this game daily.”
Kevin Durant has never been one to back down and fired back by saying, “Bro nobody gonna take u serious talking like this man, u trying too hard to be different.”
Bro nobody gonna take u serious talking like this man, u trying too hard to be different
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 23, 2023
The fan took it to another level with his next response. He wrote, “Man stop. Just cuz the money/fame etc. better, don’t mean the game more competitive & tougher to play.
“You know why they ain’t stay. We know what the NBA game focuses on. Scoring. They had to input a rule for flopping. You think that’s cool? Lol, I get it tho…”
Kevin Durant wasn’t having any of it still and ended the conversation by saying, “U just goin on a tangent now. U win brother. I hope u ordered that Euroleague package to support them boys this year.”
U just goin on a tangent now. U win brother. I hope u ordered that euroleague package to support them boys this year
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) September 23, 2023
While the EuroLeague may have aspects of the game that are more difficult than the NBA, it is not even close to being better. Kevin Durant stood his ground and made the points that needed to be made perfectly.
Kevin Durant Is A Real Fan Of The EuroLeague
The irony of this entire exchange is that Kevin Durant happens to be a fan of the EuroLeague. As a true lover of hoops, the Phoenix Suns man has been spotted attending EuroLeague games while on vacation.
In 2022, after his season had ended, Kevin Durant was spotted at a EuroLeague game in Monaco. Durant even attended a EuroLeague game in Greece while he was out there partying.
All this is to show that the former MVP knows more about the EuroLeague than any casual NBA fans on Twitter. The discourse around this is starting to get quite insane, and Kevin Durant knows to call those who are going over the top with it.
EuroLeague MVP Winners’ Careers In The NBA Show The Truth
Basketball has become a truly international game and the NBA community can appreciate that. Team USA’s losses at the FIBA World Cup show that international players cannot be taken for granted but the difference is still massive.
Just taking a look at some of the EuroLeague MVPs in the last few years, Nemanja Bjelica was the best player in the league in 2015 and he only managed to play seven seasons in the NBA as a role player. His averages were 7.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.
Nikola Mirotic, who was EuroLeague MVP in the 2021-22 season played only five NBA seasons, averaging 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. There are many such examples.
The only exception to this is Luka Doncic, who won EuroLeague MVP and has grown into an MVP candidate in the NBA too. And while he has admitted it is easier to score in the NBA, even he would never say that the EuroLeague is better.
Fans tend to get carried away with these takes, and while some of these things might end up being partially true, Kevin Durant’s initial reaction is completely warranted and makes total sense.