French star Kylian Mbappe names Rockets' Kevin Durant in top-5 list

The 2026 World Cup is less than five days away, with many international stars arriving in North America for the most prestigious tournament in sports history. Former 2018 World Cup champion and Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe is one of those players, as his tournament begins June 16 when France faces Senegal.

Mbappe is known to be a big basketball fan, having attended the 2022 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, New York. As the NBA Finals continue with Game 3 Monday, Mbappe gave his top-five players, and many were shocked that Mbappe’s countryman, Victor Wembanyama, was not among them.

A player who did get the nod was Houston Rockets star Kevin Durant, who Mbappe mentioned second when giving his list. The iconic duo of Durant and Mbappe have met previously, back at a Nets game in January of 2023. Other players to receive recognition by the global star were LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Jayson Tatum.

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: World Cup star Kylian Mbappe names Rockets’ Kevin Durant in top-5 list