Durant clarifies his LeBron 'passing the torch' comment

Kevin Durant wants to set the record straight.

The Golden State Warriors forward said last month that his dagger 3-pointer over LeBron James in Game 3 of the 2017 NBA Finals was "the best moment" of his life and made him feel like the Cleveland Cavaliers icon "was passing the torch" to him.

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Some people interpreted the quote as Durant saying The King has stepped aside, deferring to the 2014 MVP as the best player in the game, which he has now clarified isn't what he meant.

"I saw a lot of people took that out of context: What I'm saying is when somebody passes the torch, they're letting you in the room," Durant said, as quoted by The Mercury News' Mark Medina.

"You got LeBron. You got (Dwyane Wade). You got (Carmelo Anthony). You got Paul Pierce. You got Larry Bird. You got Dr. J all in a room. It's my turn to be in there with them and enjoy being one of the best players in the world. It wasn't the fact that I took it from LeBron and he's gone now. Obviously, he's still around."

He's not wrong. Durant has been one of the best players in the game for some time. His three in James' face sealed the comeback win for the Warriors, who went on to clinch the series. Not only did KD finally secure that elusive first championship, but he claimed Finals MVP honors in the process thanks to the best five-game stretch of his career.

The 29-year-old is stuffing the stat sheet this season, with 26.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.2 blocks per game for the 26-7 Dubs.