Kevin Durant didn’t hesitate when asked to stack up the Philadelphia 76ers against the Golden State Warriors team he once helped turn into a powerhouse. In his view, Philadelphia’s new-look group clears that bar.
On Saturday, Durant made the argument by pointing to the way the 76ers are built. “The last time they put three 20-point scorers on a team, they said it was unfair, which was the team I was on,” Durant said. “They (76ers) have got four 25-point scorers on this team.
“So, hell yeah, I think they’re going to be a contender. They’re going to be a fun team to watch. It’s going to be League Pass-worthy.”
That comment set the stage for a bigger debate, and by Monday the conversation had only gotten louder. Polymarket Hoops shared Durant’s take on X, along with his comparison between Philadelphia and the 2017 Warriors.
“KD says that the Sixers have a bigger superteam than the 2017 Warriors 😳: “It ain’t close, lmao. Joel, MVP.
Jaylen Brown, recent Finals MVP, Tyrese Maxey, All-Star the last 3 years. We ALL know what Bron does," Polymarket Hoops wrote.
"Klay Thompson never an MVP candidate in anything, 22 PPG. Draymond, 14 PPG, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists; Steph an MVP just like Joel was. I don’t get how the Warriors team is better on paper."
Fans jumped on the quote immediately, with one reaction cutting straight to the point: “Look at KD tryna Gaslight everybody like we stupid,” a fan wrote.
Durant’s comparison gives Philadelphia a lot of credit. The 76ers have assembled a roster that has people talking, pairing LeBron James and Jaylen Brown alongside Tyrese Maxey and Joel Embiid. But the Warriors team Durant referenced remains one of the defining superteams in league history.
Golden State had just won 73 games the season before Durant arrived. Once he got there, the Warriors ripped off back-to-back championships against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Durant took home Finals MVP honors both times.
Philadelphia, by contrast, still has to put it all together on the floor. The roster has not played a game together yet, and the only thing that will settle the comparison is what the 76ers do once the season starts.
For now, Durant has made one thing clear: he sees the 76ers as contenders, and he sees them as a team built to grab attention every night. With the schedule still unreleased, one of the most anticipated games on the board is Rockets-76ers, a matchup that would bring Durant and LeBron James back into one of the NBA’s biggest rivalries.
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Kevin Durant Just Took A Strange Shot At The 2017 Warriors
Kevin Durant made a familiar conversation flare up again during a USA Basketball event, then doubled down on Threads, saying the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers are as good on paper as the 2016-17 Warriors. He pointed to the recent MVP awards and All-Star honors around Philadelphia as part of the case, which is the kind of comparison that instantly invites debate when the standard is a Golden State team that rolled through that season with an unusually deep, star-heavy roster.
For Warriors fans, the bigger intrigue is less about whether the comparison holds and more about what Durants framing says about how he remembers that title run in Oakland. The piece contrasts the players achievements and roles on both teams, and the comment can also be read as a subtle swipe at some of Durants former teammates, even if he did not spell that out. [Read more 🡒]