It’s a lazy Saturday morning in 2026, and I’m scrolling through podcast clips when Kevin Durant’s voice stops me. The man is 38 years old and still dropping gems like it’s nothing. He’s chatting with some old-school Grizzlies guys, and the topic turns to the most underrated hoopers of all time. Without hesitation, KD drops two names that made me nearly spill my coffee: Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady.

Now, I’ve been watching the NBA since the early 2000s tape-delayed games on fuzzy TVs, so when a living legend like Durant says something, I sit up and listen. And honestly? The more I thought about it, the more I realized he’s absolutely right.

Let’s start with The Big Ticket. Durant called Kevin Garnett the best player in the NBA at one point — and this is coming from a guy who competed against LeBron, Kobe, and Tim Duncan. That’s wild, but also totally justified when you rewind the tape. KG was a 7‑foot unicorn before unicorns were cool. He could handle the rock, splash mid‑range jumpers, lock down all five positions, and scream with so much intensity that opponents mentally checked out by halftime. During that 2003‑04 season in Minnesota, he put up numbers that look like a 2K created player: 24.2 points, 13.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.2 blocks, and 1.5 steals per game. He led the Timberwolves to the best record in the West and snagged the MVP with 120 out of 123 first‑place votes. Yet, somehow, that season barely gets a mention when people rank all‑time great campaigns.

Maybe it’s because he didn’t win a ring with the Wolves. Maybe it’s because the Lakers ended that fairy tale in the Conference Finals. But man, if you actually watched those games, you saw a player doing everything — literally everything — for his team. He was the system. KD pointed out that Garnett influenced his own game as a tall, skilled forward who could move like a guard. You can see the echoes: the face‑up jumper, the defensive versatility, the fire. Still, when folks list the best power forwards ever, they often slot Duncan, Malone, and Dirk ahead without much thought. That’s criminal.

Garnett finally got his ring in Boston in 2008 alongside Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. He also won Defensive Player of the Year that season, anchoring the best defense in the league. That chip solidified his legacy, but for a guy who was once the highest‑paid player in sports history and carried a franchise for over a decade, he still feels like an afterthought in conversations about the greatest. The Big Ticket deserves his flowers, and it’s awesome to see Durant handing them out.

Then there’s Tracy McGrady. Oh boy, where do I even start? Durant said T‑Mac was “Kevin Durant before Kevin Durant,” and honestly, that sums it up perfectly. A 6‑foot‑8 guard with a silky jumper, explosive athleticism, and a bag so deep you’d need a map to navigate it. The man won back‑to‑back scoring titles in 2003 and 2004, averaging over 32 points per game at his peak. In that era, with hand‑checking still allowed and slower paces, those numbers were absolutely bonkers. Yet, he’s rarely mentioned alongside Kobe, Wade, or even AI when people debate the best shooting guards.

Durant emphasized something most casual fans missed: McGrady’s playmaking. Before injuries piled up, T‑Mac was a legitimate point‑forward with elite vision. During his first years in Houston, playing with Yao Ming, he averaged nearly six assists per game while still dropping 25 points. Jeff Van Gundy, his coach at the time, raved about his basketball IQ and unselfishness. But because his Magic teams were basically T‑Mac and a bunch of dudes, that part of his game got buried under 40‑point explosions and first‑round exits.

The tragedy of T‑Mac is his prime got sliced in half by injuries. After the 2007‑08 season, his body started breaking down, and by age 33 he was out of the league. While Kobe kept collecting rings and records, McGrady faded into “what if” territory. But for those of us who stayed up late watching him torch the Spurs in 13 seconds, or witnessed the effortless 62‑point game in 2004, we know he was one of the most special talents ever to touch a basketball.

Listening to Durant speak about these two guys, I couldn’t help but nod along. He’s played against the best of the best — he knows greatness when he sees it. And in a league that sometimes gets amnesia about the past unless you have a fistful of rings, KG and T‑Mac are two names that need to keep echoing. So, if you’re a young hoops fan who only knows highlights, do yourself a favor: find those old tapes. You’ll understand why Durant, a true student of the game, still rides so hard for these underrated legends.