Stephen Bunting is convinced Luke Littler possesses the potential to finish his career as the finest darts player in history, though he expects the legendary Phil Taylor to retain superiority in terms of sheer trophy count.
Littler's pursuit of an unprecedented clean sweep across all 2026 ranking events came to an abrupt halt following an unexpected defeat at the World Series of Darts Finals in Amsterdam. The world number one had captured the opening six premier tournaments of the season, building on his World Championship success at Alexandra Palace in January with victories at the World Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup of Darts and World Matchplay.
The 19-year-old had targeted five additional crowns to complete a historic monopoly over the calendar year. However, according to Sky Sports, Littler fell to Jonny Clayton in the quarter-finals, ending his hopes of claiming the World Series of Darts Finals, World Grand Prix, European Championship, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals trophies.
Despite the setback in Amsterdam, numerous analysts are already forecasting the teenager's emergence as the sport's greatest talent—a view shared by Bunting. When asked whether he believes Littler can retire as darts' greatest player, the 41-year-old responded affirmatively.
I do. I think he's got a lot more to give the sport.
Yet Bunting maintains that Taylor, who stepped away from professional darts in 2018, will ultimately hold the advantage when measuring accumulated titles.
I think he'll win a lot more world titles, but I don't think he'll win as many as Phil. The standard of play is a lot better than in Phil's day. Phil did dominate.
Bunting emphasised Littler's transformative impact on the sport itself, extending beyond tournament victories.
But [Littler] is someone who has changed our sport. He's brought the [age] demographic of the sport down. If you ask people who a darts player is, they all say Luke Littler, that's how powerful his name is.
The veteran player acknowledged his reluctance to settle the debate unilaterally, preferring to defer to the principals involved.
I think certainly Luke's ceiling is phenomenal. Based on his ceiling he is the best player in the world. Phil 'The Power' Taylor won 16 World Championships - you can't take that away from Phil.
If Phil tells me he's the best darts player in the world, he's the best darts player in the world. I'll leave it for them to discuss. I'd be happy to win one or two world titles, but Luke is smashing it already.
Bunting highlighted Littler's consistency and the emerging talent pool threatening his dominance.
He's playing fantastic, won another European Tour, so he's pretty unstoppable. But there's a couple of players behind him who can also have high ceilings as well, so on the day, who knows what can happen.
Crowd behaviour at Amsterdam event
During his appearance on the Love The Darts podcast, Bunting addressed the reception Littler received at the World Series of Darts Finals, where he faced booing and whistling from sections of the crowd. According to Sky Sports coverage, the Amsterdam crowd was particularly vocal during the event.
Bunting drew on his own experience of disruptive crowd noise, explaining the genuine difficulty it creates for competitors.
A loud whistle really does throw you off and I've had it in my career. It's not nice and it's off-putting when you're throwing for a double. It's the minority.
Bunting's World Grand Prix ambitions and new walk-on song
Bunting will compete at the World Grand Prix, where he aims to progress beyond the semi-final stage he has reached twice previously. The tournament takes place in Leicester from September 28 to October 4, with Sky Sports broadcasting live coverage.
Definitely. Hopefully I can go in with some really good form, these next few tournaments push me there with some confidence.
Bunting expressed enthusiasm for the double-off format that characterises the Grand Prix.
The Grand Prix is a double-off format, I really enjoy hitting my doubles. It's going to be a great tournament. It's brilliant Sky Sports covers it and hopefully I can put on a good show for the fans and get the title.
Fans attending the Mattioli Arena will witness Bunting's entrance to a new walk-on song, 'Titanium', replacing his previous choice of 'Bird is the Word' and the Peter Griffin theme.
My son's favourite song. It was an easy one to pick. I wanted to get away from the Peter Griffin and the 'Bird is the Word' song. Everyone's been really positive towards it.
Bunting described the emotional connection he experiences during his walk-on routine.
It's one of the greatest walk-on songs in my opinion. It's really a special moment when I'm doing the actions and they're singing it back to me. It makes me feel so happy.
He explained how the crowd interaction serves a psychological function during competition.
Obviously, we're up there to do a job and play darts, but the walk-on and the crowd takes the pressure away and it relaxes me when I've done the walk-on.
When the crowd are singing 'let's go Bunting-mental', they really are my 12th man. To be able to use the crowd as a power, it's really important, they're a huge part of my game and it's nice to be able to give something back to them.
Bunting's autobiography addresses social media and gambling struggles
Bunting spoke to Sky Sports News ahead of releasing his new autobiography, 'Bulletproof', a title drawing inspiration from both the 'Titanium' lyrics and his professional nickname. The book explores his determination to persevere through adversity in his darts career.
The player opened up about the toll of negative social media attention, acknowledging the support system that has sustained him through difficult periods.
Sometimes it can be really difficult. I'm lucky I've got a great team around me, a brilliant family and some unbelievable fans and they've really helped me through a little bit of a dark time.
Bunting referenced a previous controversy that had been misinterpreted.
It came off the back of the 'people's champion' debacle, which was taken well out of context. I've put that all behind me now. It's about rebuilding again. The confidence is high, even though the results are not going my way at the minute, I'm sure that's about to change.
He emphasised the importance of presenting his complete life story within the book's pages, including struggles he had previously kept private.
It was important to show everyone, this was a life story, so, everything needs to be in there. The gambling debts were a big part of my life.
Bunting described the destructive cycle gambling created during his lowest moments.
When times were low, I'd lock myself away, and I'd be on my phone gambling. It was a horrible place to be in. I was in a rut and thankfully, sports psychologist, hypnotist and everything about that really helped me and helped me look at it in a positive way, even though somethings may not be positive, still taking a positive spin on it.
He expressed hope that sharing his experience might benefit others facing similar challenges.
Gambling was a way out at the time but I was able to put that to bed and if one little bit out of this book can help anyone in this situation, the book's a winner.
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