Kevin Durant has gone from stride to stride ever since his switch from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Golden State Warriors two years ago despite the criticism that has come his way.

Alongside teammates Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, not only has he won back-to-back NBA Championships, but he has also become only the sixth player in NBA history to win back-to-back Finals MVP awards.

Only five other players can say they have done this,  joining Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kobe Bryant and his opponent from this year's Finals series, Cleveland Cavaliers icon LeBron James. Yet, despite the comparisons, Durant hasn't received the same credit for his achievement.

According to Yahoo! Sports, KD was asked about what it takes to become a great player in the NBA, and in the process of his answer, he may have taken a slight dig at LeBron. He said he takes inspiration from the likes of Kobe and LeBron, but at the same time, he feels like it's harder to shine when you have good players around you.

He said: “Kobe, M.J., LeBron, Kareem, those dudes drive me, they push me every day to get to that level, to that standard and I want to be able to sit back and talk to them about basketball one day. I’m happy I’ll be able dial up some of them and get some equity in that deal when it comes to being able to talk amongst the greats and experience what they experienced.

“I feel like it’s easy to be the best player when you don’t have good players around you. I feel like it’s harder to stand out when you have great players around you.

"I pride myself on standing out wherever I am. I pride myself on working hard wherever I go. And I feel like these guys embraced me and I feel like I’m a Warrior.”

LeBron is, of course, the main man in Cleveland, while Durant plays alongside a superteam of Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson.

KD playing alongside these stars in a superteam might make it easier for him to shine since his teammates will demand attention too, but at the same time, he has to compete with them for possession of the ball.

The King always has most of the possession of the ball since he's the undisputed best player on the Cavaliers roster, which is why Durant believes it's harder for him to shine on the court for the Warriors.

However, no matter what roster you put LeBron in, he's going to be one of the best players on the team. It's just right now, there's no one else near his level in Cleveland, which is one of the reasons why he might be leaving the franchise this summer.

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