Suns’ Kevin Durant Says He’s Motivated by Apathy of Younger Peers

The future Hall of Famer isn’t ceding any ground to the NBA’s next generation of superstars.

LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have ranked among the NBA’s biggest stars since joining the league in 2003, ’07 and ’09, respectively. But as the focus slowly shifts toward the next wave of NBA standouts, the trio continues to play at a dominant level. Recently, Durant admitted that the attitude of some younger counterparts has helped him keep playing at an elite level.

Durant recently discussed how the players before him didn’t pass the torch but instead made his generation “try to take that from them.” He also credited younger players with not giving “a s---” about what he’s done in his career.

“Those older guys didn’t want to just say, ‘Here, young’un, you the next one up.’ You had to try to take that from them,” Durant told Michael Lee of The Washington Post. “I’m not going out there and relying on my name and what I’ve done in the past to get that respect. I respect that about the young players. They don’t give a s— about what you did in the past. It’s about today. So that keeps me on point.”

Durant doesn’t envision his career winding down anytime soon either, stating that he feels “great right now” and “can keep going.” The 35-year-old also believes he, James and Curry could play into their 40s, according to Lee.

It’s difficult to argue with Durant’s thought process and confidence in his longevity, as the 2014 NBA MVP and 14-time All-Star continues to play an elite level. Through 48 games this season, he’s averaged 28.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting 53.8% from the field and 44.3% from three-point range.