All Clippers

LeBron James Reacts to Kevin Durant vs. Joel Embiid Beef

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James weighed in during the Philadelphia 76ers vs. Brooklyn Nets matchup

Joey Linn

Image via Getty/Michael Owens
In this story:

The entire NBA world had their sights set on Thursday night's showdown between the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers. With the two teams making a blockbuster trade at the deadline that sent Ben Simmons to Brooklyn in exchange for James Harden, the storylines wrote themselves for this game. With all the attention that James Harden and Ben Simmons were getting, and underrated rivalry between Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid frequently went overlooked.

During the first half of this contest, Kevin Durant and Joel Embiid were going at one another. The two have some history, with the most recent edition of their beef coming at the end of December. Durant and Embiid exchanged some words following the 76ers win over Brooklyn that night, and when asked after the game what happened, Durant said, "If you've been watching Joel and I play against each other, it's been like that every game. Even the All-Star game. We just respect each other so much, that natural competitive fire comes out. It's the name of the game... We love competition, and this is only going to make it better."

The start of this game was no different, as Durant and Embiid exchanged words during a first-half sequence. Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James weighed in on the rivalry, Tweeting, "I love that the refs let KD and JE talk that talk to each other and didn’t TECH them up! That’s DOPE!! Understanding the assignment."

The Lakers are off tonight, but LeBron is tuned in to one of the biggest regular season matchups of the season.

Related Articles

Steph Curry Shares Encouraging Message For Klay Thompson

Video: Kawhi Leonard Drills Threes Before Clippers vs. Warriors Game

DeMar DeRozan Reveals Paul George Talked With Him to Join Clippers

Published
Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

Home/News