Lakers News: LeBron James, Kevin Durant Reflect On First Matchup In 5 Years

Two of the game's greats.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant are two of the NBA's greatest players ever with countless battles over the years. 

This Thursday marked the most recent chapter in their storied rivalry after five years without both simultaneously healthy enough to play against one another. 

As the younger of the pair (he’s a shade under four years James’ junior), Durant mentioned just how big of an inspiration the Lakers great has been throughout his career. 

Kevin Durant on facing off against LeBron James again and how he influenced his career pic.twitter.com/nU2xoWAMlG

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 27, 2023

James, on the other hand, talked about how much he valued both their individual battles at the NBA level as well as their combined effort as teammates in Olympic competitions. 

Lakers’ LeBron James on matching up against Kevin Durant again pic.twitter.com/AMkLFi7LLW

— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) October 27, 2023

Durant's legacy, while great, comes with several individual questions about just how he built it up. 

Once the darling of Oklahoma City, the ex-Thunder superstar couldn't win a championship with the team that drafted him, thanks to LeBron's efforts in 2012 with the Miami Heat.

Four more seasons of poor injury luck and devastating playoff failure led Durant to sign with the Golden State Warriors in a move that remains controversial to this day. 

For discussions about fairness and competitive ethics, the Slim Reaper won two Finals MVPs against James' Cavs in 2017 and 2018 with relative ease. 

James, like Durant, left his draft team to form a contender with the Heat, where he won the aforementioned 2012 title, plus the 2013 championship.

His homecoming to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 also bore championship fruit in 2016… and then Durant joined the Warriors.

On Thursday, Durant notched nearly 39 points and surpassed Hakeem Olajuwon on the NBA's all-time scoring list with his effort. 

However, it was James who stole the headlines at the death with two tough layups in the clutch pushing LA to a fourth-quarter comeback. 

While we don't know how many chapters are left in this great story, we, like LeBron, won't take his or Durant's talents for granted. 

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