Kevin Durant and the Greatest Seasons in NBA History by a Player 25 and Under

Image via Complex Original

Age: 24

Stats: 30.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 5.9 APG, 2.2 SPG, 38% 3-point percentage

Playoff Stats: 32.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 5.2 APG, 1.2 SPG, 40% 3-point percentage

Awards: All-Star, 1st team All-NBA, 1st team All Defense

This was said to be the first season of the Kobe-Shaq feud, and Shaq getting hurt early and the Lakers starting off 11-19 didn't help matters any. As far as overall team success goes this was not one of their better seasons as Los Angeles flamed out and got eliminated by the Spurs, looking nowhere near as dominant as they did on their way to three consecutive titles. But hidden by the team struggles was a magnificent individual season by Kobe Bryant. Jelly Bean Jr. averaged 30 a game, even going on a nine-game stretch where he scored 40 points or more in each.

Certainly the Lakers were better in other years, but Kobe's ability to score and his ridiculous 3-point percentage made for a memorable 24th year for The Mamba. 

Age: 25

Stats: 32.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 5.5 APG, .503 FG%, .391 3P%

Playoff Stats: 29.6 PPG, 8.9 RPG, 3.9 APG

Awards: All-Star, 1st Team All-NBA, NBA Scoring Champion

His mom might be the real MVP, but she's not out there dropping 32-a-game and still keeping a field goal percentage better than 50%. Last season KD was finally able to break free of the long and muscular shadow of LeBron James and etch his name in the history books as an MVP. The Durantula--err, The "Slim Reaper" may still be chasing that elusive first championship, but if any of these other players on the list are an indication, his chance for championship glory will come eventually.

Age: 23

Stats: 34.5 PPG, 14.1 RPG, 2.1 BPG, .512 FG%

Playoff Stats: 37.4 PPG, 13.4 RPG, 2.7 BPG

Awards: NBA All-Star, NBA MVP, 1st Team All-NBA

Although he wouldn't win a championship with the Buffalo Braves, McAdoo upping his already ridiculous 34.5 point per game to over 37 is the perfect example of a star rising to the occasion. He tore through the league before a string of injuries plagued the middle portion of his career, although his story had a happy ending as Bob was able to win two rings with the Lakers as things were winding down.

Age: 24

Stats: 28.4 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.7 SPG, 1.1 BPG

Playoff Stats: 35.3 PPG, 9.1 RPG, 7.3 APG

Awards: NBA All-Star, NBA MVP, 1st Team All-Defense, 1st Team All-NBA

After averaging 30/8/7 the previous season and losing out to a much-deserving Kobe Bryant for MVP, Bron came back focused in 2008 to make his case as the best player in the world. Although his Cavs would eventually fall to Superman 2's Orlando Magic, King James upped his offensive and defensive game so drastically in the playoffs that everyone was forced to take notice. 

Age: 22

Stats: 29.3 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 2.7 APG, 2.4 BPG, .583 FG%

Playoff Stats: 25.7 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 3.3 APG, 1.9 BPG, .577 FG%

Awards: NBA All-Star, 2nd Team All-NBA

Orlando got swept in the Finals by a better team in the Houston Rockets in 1995, but that doesn't take away from a tremendous year by The Diesel. Shaq put together one of if not the greatest single-season effort in NBA history in 1999-2000 at the age of 27, but five years prior at just 22 he was already dominating the league. And that's saying a lot considering the abundance of other Hall of Fame-level big men at the time including David Robinson (who was 1st Team All-NBA that year), Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning.

Age: 22

Stats: 18.6 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 9.5 APG. 2.7 SPG, .537 FG%

Playoff Stats: 17.4 PPG, 11.3 RPG, 9.3 APG, 2.9 SPG, .529 FG%

Awards: NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, 2nd Team All-NBA

This was the year Magic became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double. The Big O did it first, but using traditional math standards of rounding, Magic's 9.6 rebounds a game rounds up to 10 and his 9.5 assists a game does the same. That's a 19/10/10 average for the 22-year-old point guard / power forward who also just happened to win an NBA championship and take home the Finals MVP. AND he got to do it all while living in Los Angeles. Not a bad eight months.

Age: 24

Stats: 35.0 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 3.2 SPG, 1.6 BPG, .535 FG%

Playoff Stats: 36.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 4.7 APG, 2.4 SPG, 1.1 BPG

Awards: NBA All-Star, All-Star Game MVP, NBA Defensive Player of the Year, NBA MVP, 1st Team All-Defense, 1st Team All-NBA, NBA Scoring Champion

The only thing missing from MJ's fourth season was an NBA championship. His Airness our Lord and Savior of Basketball averaged a ridiculous 35 points a game, while also maintaining his presence as the most dominating defensive player in the league. Running over 40 minutes per game while playing with that level of effort on both sides of the floor and keeping your field goal percentage over 50% as a guard? That's why his name is his name.

Age: 23

Stats: 30.8 PPG, 12.5 RPG, 11.4 APG

Playoff Stats: 28.8 PPG, 11.0 RPG, 11.0 APG

Awards: NBA All-Star, 1st Team All-NBA

The Big O would go on to win MVP's and NBA titles in other years in his career, but the act of maintaining an average stat line of 31/13/11 for an entire season is scary. One game with a line like that would easily be their best ever for most players in league history, yet Oscar Robertson was able to do it for 79 games at only 23 years old. It's a shame steals and blocks were only recorded starting in the last year of his career. Probably a good chance there were a few quadruple-doubles strung together in this magnificent season.

Age: 23

Stats: 31.7 PPG, 16.0 RPG, 3.3 APG, .577 FG%, (blocks not yet a statistic)

Playoff Stats: 26.6 PPG, 17.0 RPG, 2.5 APG

Awards: NBA All-Star, NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP, NBA 1st Team All-NBA, 2nd Team All-Defense, NBA Scoring Champion

Widely regarded as one of the greatest seasons in NBA history, Kareem kicked off the 70's with all of the awards, accolades, and statistical proof of dominance a player could ask for. What's better than winning an MVP and winning a championship in the same season? Also leading the league in scoring and taking home a Finals MVP. Perhaps one of the most underrated players today when talking NBA history, it's important to remember that this ring gave Kareem three high school championships, three NCAA championships, and now an NBA title. 

He would later win five more...to go along with six total MVPs. KAJ deserves more GOAT talk.

Age: 25

Stats: 50.4 PPG, 25.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, .506 FG%, 48.5 MPG, (blocks not yet a statistic)

Playoff Stats: 35.0 PPG, 26.6 RPG, 48.0 MPG

Awards: NBA All-Star, 1st Team All-NBA, NBA Rebound Champion, NBA Scoring Champion 

Wrap your head around those statistics for a second. Wilt "The Stilt" played 80 games, played every possible minute of those 80 games (all except 8 minutes after being ejected from a game with two technicals), and averaged over 50 points and 25 boards a contest. Use the excuse of lesser competition if you like; the shear stamina needed to keep up that pace is unbelievable. To this day Celtics fans will tell you that Bill Russell is the superior player because of his 11 championships and will even go as far as to say Russell "kept Wilt in check" during their playoff matchups. Well, if averaging 35 points and 26 rebounds a game is being "kept in check," then Wilt's regular output must've been something the league hasn't seen since.

The 1961-1962 season included The Big Dipper's famed 100-point game, a record many NBA fans feel will never be matched. But unknown to most is that the 100-point game actually broke Wilt's own record that he set earlier that season when he poured in 78 against Los Angeles. He also had 43 rebounds in that game. 

Championship or not, MVP or not, this was the greatest season by anyone 25 of younger. Imagine how many blocks he probably had. Imagine how hard it was to accomplish all of this without ever fouling out once. This was a season of greatness. God only knows what his bedroom stats must've looked like.