They come along every few years, athletes who chain your eyes to the TV screen, not letting you miss a single shot or swing. Reggie Jackson. Michael Jordan. Tiger Woods. Joining this élite class is Kevin Durant, a silky-smooth, baby-faced freshman basketball player from the University of Texas.
Yes, at just 18, Durant is still a bit green. But try to name a college hoops prospect over the past two decades who melds Durant's all-around skill, grace and explosiveness. The skinny 6-ft. 9-in. scoring machine finished February as the nation's only top-five player in both points and rebounds. He strokes long-range jumpers with comical ease, possesses a potpourri of post moves and uses a 7-ft. 6-in. wingspan to block shots.
The first pick in the nba draft will probably go to Greg Oden, Ohio State's 7-ft. freshman center (both Oden and Durant have flirted with staying in school, but don't be fooled — they're going pro). you can't pass up a big man, as some basketball sage wrote on a wood backboard 50 years ago — words that will forever haunt teams like the Portland Trail Blazers, who took Sam Bowie over Jordan. Sure, Oden will be a great pro, but he won't match Durant's superstardom.