<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/kevin-durant">Kevin Durant</a> is undeniably one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen. With two NBA championships with the Golden State Warriors (2017, 2018) and four Olympic gold medals with Team USA, Durant’s legacy is cemented in basketball history. The Phoenix Suns star has clinched gold in every one of his Olympic appearances: London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, Tokyo 2020, and Paris 2024.



Beyond his titles, Durant has achieved remarkable feats in his career. Not only does he hold the record for the most points scored for Team USA in the Olympics, but he is also the all-time leading scorer for the national team.



After 16 years in the NBA, Durant has inspired countless young players who now share the court with him. One of those players is Memphis Grizzlies’ Jaren Jackson Jr., who recently admitted that Durant was his childhood hero.



“KD’s been doing this for a long time. He was my favorite player growing up,” Jackson said during an appearance on the “Old Man &amp; The Three” podcast. “I saw KD go 13-14, all pull-ups. In Memphis. I wasn’t playing. They were all pull-ups. That rim stuff is just boring for him. He’s just trying to have fun.”



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="576" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.bolavip.com/webp/en/full/BUS_20240828_BUS_221845_kevin-durant-3-1-1024x576_703061a1.webp&amp;width=1024&amp;height=576" alt="" class="wp-image-221847" srcset="https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/kevin-durant-3-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/kevin-durant-3-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/kevin-durant-3-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/kevin-durant-3-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://bolavip-us.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2024/08/kevin-durant-3-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px"></figure><figcaption>Jaren Jackson Jr. #13 of the Memphis Grizzlies celebrate as Kevin Durant #7 of the Brooklyn Nets looks. Justin Ford/Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



<h2>Anthony Edwards echoes Jackson’s admiration for KD</h2>



In February 2024, <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/anthony-edwards">Anthony Edwards</a>, the star guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, made headlines when he declared Durant as his GOAT (Greatest of All Time). Edwards, who grew up watching Durant, confessed, “He’s my favorite player of all time. I’ve always been a huge fan.”


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During an interview at Fanatics Fest with former <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/nba">NBA</a> player Jalen Rose, Edwards shared the mixed emotions he felt after the Timberwolves eliminated Durant’s Suns in the playoff semifinals.



Edwards admitted that beating his childhood idol wasn’t as satisfying as one might expect. “I’m not going to lie… I felt bad a little bit, only because he is my favorite player of all time,” Edwards said, according to ClutchPoints. “I didn’t want to send him home like that. You know what I mean? It happened, man, and I felt bad.”


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Edwards also revealed what it felt like to play alongside his idol Durant at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games: “It’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of,” Edwards said according to Marc J. Spears of Andscape.

Like Anthony Edwards: Memphis Grizzlies star makes big confession about Kevin Durant

Like Anthony Edwards: Memphis Grizzlies star makes big confession about Kevin Durant - Bolavip US

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Team USA features some of the best young talents in the N<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">BA</a> right now. But as much as some players get along just fine, others can’t shake off their rivalries from the league. That could be the case with <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/memphis-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Memphis Grizzlies</a> star Jaren Jackson Jr.



Coach Steve Kerr recently called him out for getting into foul trouble, rolling with Paolo Banchero in crunch time instead. Unsurprisingly, he didn’t exactly care for those comments.



Now, in his latest statement, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year may have clapped back by taking a shot at the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/golden-state-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Golden State Warriors</a> and some of their players.



<h2>Jaren Jackson Jr. Takes A Shot At The Dubs</h2>



“Coach Kerr is using his system. It’s just more or less what Draymond [Green] would have ran or [Kevon] Looney, and just with better players,” Jackson told Yahoo! Sports’ Jake Fischer. “A lot of delay actions and stuff like that.”



It’s not a secret that the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors don’t get along. Klay Thompson has openly mocked them and called them out in the past, and vice versa.


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But Jackson will have no choice but to play along and be a team player. Otherwise, Kerr will have more than enough options on the bench to use instead of him.

Jaren Jackson Jr. takes a shot at Draymond Green and Warriors

Jaren Jackson Jr. takes a shot at Draymond Green and Warriors - Bolavip US

<a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/golden-state-warriors" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Golden State Warriors</a> coach <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/steve-kerr" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Steve Kerr</a> has a tough job to do. He has to temper the ego of multiple young <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/nba" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">NBA</a> stars, including those who don’t seem to like his team that much.



That includes Jaren Jackson Jr, who’s fresh off being named Defensive Player of the Year, yet wasn’t on the floor when Team USA closed out New Zealand in the FIBA World Cup.



As good as the <a href="https://bolavip.com/en/topic/memphis-grizzlies" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Memphis Grizzlies</a> star is, he often gets into foul trouble, which is why Kerr decided to roll with Paolo Banchero instead. Needless to say, Jackson didn’t exactly care for that.



<h2>Steve Kerr Wants Jaren Jackson Jr. Out Of Foul Trouble</h2>



“He has the ability to block everything,” Kerr told Yahoo Sports. “But sometimes he needs to dial it back a little bit. He’s foul-prone in the NBA. So, there’s always one or two plays where you just want him to let it go, because he’s too important to us. So we share those clips and just remind him sometimes the best play is to just let the guy go and don’t pick up the foul.”



“Go get it, man,” Jackson replied. “It comes with it. If I’m gonna be less aggressive, I’m gonna have less blocks, I’m gonna bring less rim protection, and I’ma have less fouls with all that. Pick one or the other. Which one do you want? Do you want me to be great or not?”


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At the end of the day, he’ll have no choice but to comply with his coach’s demands. But it’ll be interesting to see how he handles things when the Grizzlies face the Dubs next season.

Jaren Jackson Jr.

Like Anthony Edwards: Memphis Grizzlies star makes big confession about Kevin Durant

Jaren Jackson Jr. takes a shot at Draymond Green and Warriors

Jaren Jackson Jr. didn't like Steve Kerr's take about his defense