"Mentality and skill go hand in hand" - Kevin Durant reacts to Giannis Antetokounmpo's take on what it takes to be great in NBA

Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo are taking their on-court rivalry away from the basketball floor. This time, the contest between the two is unfolding on social media. Commenting on a social media post, which carried Antetokounmpo's quote from the interview, Durant wrote:

"Mentality and skill go hand in hand in my humble opinion. All the greats had both."

Giannis Antetokounmpo's comments weren't meant to diss Kevin Durant. If anything, Antetokounmpo included KD in his list of all-time greats and what made them special besides their skill. However, Durant had his opinion on the matter. He reacted to Antetokounmpo's view on skill not being all-important in making it big in the NBA.

To be fair to Durant, the two-time Finals MVP isn't being vicious towards Antetokounmpo. Durant has a habit of engaging directly on social media and is known for speaking his mind to fans and critics alike. On this occasion, he decided to give his viewpoint. He said that skill is just an essential ingredient as mentality to make it to the top of the NBA.

Antetokounmpo and Durant had one of the all-time great showdowns in NBA history. The two superstars squared off in an edge-of-the-seat seven-game series in the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Antetokounmpo's Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Nets with a Game 7 road victory. Durant finished with series averages of 35.4 points, 10.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. Antetokounmpo, for his part, had an equally superlative statline. He ended the series averaging 31.9 ppg and 12.9 rpg. The Bucks went on to win the NBA Finals two rounds later.

Giannis Antetokounmpo's original comments

The genesis of this online disagreement is an interview given by Giannis Antetokounmpo to SiriusXM NBA Radio. Speaking on what makes players great in the NBA, the Greek Freak said:

"It takes more than skills to be great. That's what people don't understand. You can be the most skillful person on earth, still don't make the NBA. The NBA is not about skills. It takes way more to be [great]."

Giannis Antetokounmpo then cited specific examples of great players and what exactly made them great. The 2021 Finals MVP said:

"Consistency. LeBron James, 20 years in the league. When you think about LeBron, you think about consistency. He's been great for 20 years. Think about MJ, edge. About getting better. Obsession. Kobe, obsession. Steph [Curry]. KD [Kevin Durant]. It's not just skills man."

Speaking about his own game, Antetokounmpo said:

"I can say I'm not the most skilful. I don't have the best shot. I don't have the best dribble. I believe I'm a very good passer, underrated passer making plays for my teammates and I think that's my number one talent. But the thing that makes me a step further than people is the obsession and the discipline that I have towards the game. Not my skills."