Inside The Heat

Miami Heat Legend's Social Media Opens Door To LeBron James-Kevin Durant Debate

Shandel Richardson

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Western Conference forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns look on during the national anthem before the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Western Conference forward LeBron James (23) of the Los Angeles Lakers and forward Kevin Durant (35) of the Phoenix Suns look on during the national anthem before the 73rd NBA All Star game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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LeBron James and Kevin Durant have remained atop the NBA for nearly the last 15 years.

On Sunday, they kept their perch with dominant performances in Team USA's victory against Serbia in the opener of play in the Olympics. James had 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds while Durant finished with 23 points, including 21 in the first half.

The performances left Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade impressed with both. Hours after the game, he was still praising the effort by Durant. It was his first game since the Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the Western Conference playoffs in April.

Durant was dealing with a calf injury before he was cleared Saturday night.

Here's what Wade posted on X: "I’m sitting here thinking about what KD just did tonite. I just watch one of the greatest basketball moments in my life time. Living Legend!"

Wade, who broadcast the game for NBC, shared some love for James, too. The two were teammates with the Heat from 2010-14, winning titles in in 2012 and 2013. At one point, Wade called James the best player in league history or the GOAT.

Despite entering the league together in 2003, James continues to play at a high level while Wade retired after the 2019 season.

“Anytime I still see LeBron playing this level of basketball, I'm trying to see what I did wrong in life," Wade said on the broadcast.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Miami Heat on SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here