Steph Curry or Kevin Durant: Who Is the Better All-Time Player

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant were teammates for three seasons and won two NBA championships together. Barring injuries in the NBA Finals in 2019, it could have been three. The pair won Olympic Gold together last summer, leading many to wonder what could have been if Durant had stayed in Golden State. It also raises the question: Who is the better all-time player?

Stephen Curry Has Been a Warrior

There is an argument for both players. Durant was ranked No. 13 by The Atlantic in 2022 and Curry was ranked 15. So, that does not answer much. Curry has more championships with four. Durant has 2. Curry has two NBA MVP awards and one NBA Finals MVP. In the 2015-16 season, Curry was the first player in league history to win the MVP award unanimously, with all 131 ballots ranking him in first place. He also led the league in scoring that year, averaging 30.1 points per game. 

Curry, who has played his entire career with the Golden State Warriors, has changed the game with his unique shooting ability. He is the lll-time leader in three pointers with 4,058. He has to be guarded as soon as he crosses the mid strip.

“As the supreme leader of the big man alliance, I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation,“ said Shaquille O’Neal in March after Curry led a huge comeback to beat the Knick in Madison Square Garden.  “Just start putting him in the conversation. There’s [Michael Jordan], there’s Kobe [Bryant], there’s LeBron [James]. Start putting Steph in that conversation. I demand it.

“I played against Mike, played with Kobe, played against and with LeBron. They’re all great,” O’Neal continued. “But at some point, we’re going to have to put Steph Curry in that category. I’m not saying he is [the GOAT], but let’s just have the conversation. I like all the internet talk and the barbershop talk, but I ain’t never seen nothing like that before, and nobody has. And how many [rings] he got? One, two, three, four, against LeBron. I demand that people start putting my guy in that conversation, period.”

Curry isn’t just someone who wants to shoot and score, he wants to win. “Success is not an accident, success is actually a choice,” said Curry, who is 659-367 with the Warriors. “Basketball isn’t just a sport, it is an art,” and “I’d rather be a non-All-Star playing in the Western Conference finals than an All-Star who’s sitting at home in May.” The point guard has averaged six assists per game in his career.

Kevin Durant Can Do It All

Durant is known as a much better defender. He has 10 All-Star selections, 9 All-NBA selections and four scoring titles. Durant has averaged seven rebounds a game for his career. He averages 27.2 points per game for his career compared to 24.5 for Curry. Durant was drafted second overall by the Seattle Supersonics in 2007. He never played in Seattle as the team moved to Oklahoma City after the selection. The Phoenix Suns forward has played four teams. The Thunder, Warriors, Nets and Suns.

Charles Barkley often touts Durant, but he may be most famous for saying he is not really a leader. “No disrespect to Kevin. Kevin’s a follower. He’s not a leader. He’s proven that on all his stops,” Barkley said. No one argues that Durant doesn’t play hard. He also came back from a major injury in the 2019 Finals. “Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard,” Durant has said.

Final Thoughts

Some argue Durant is the superior player due to his incredible scoring ability, athleticism, and NBA Finals performance. Others prefer Curry for his impact on the game, championship pedigree, and overall value to his team.