The LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant showdown will take place for the 1st time in the regular season since Dec. 25, 2018.
It’s actually happening. Kevin Durant and LeBron James will share the same court in a regular season game. It’s only been five years, a heavy delay caused by injuries, since the last time two all-time greats — who dueled in three NBA Finals — eyeballed each other.
Their teams went 13 games with no LeBron-KD head-to-head. They also missed each other in three All-Star Games. They last played on Christmas Day 2018, Durant’s final season with the Warriors and LeBron’s first with the Lakers, who won by 26.
Their history is rich: LeBron leads head-to-head 15-6 in the regular season, Durant’s up 9-5 in the postseason. Durant won back-to-back titles against LeBron (who did get 51 points in Game 1 in 2018); LeBron beat Durant and OKC a decade ago.
In their games together, Durant is averaging 29.8 points, LeBron 29.6.
Kevin Durant says he is looking forward to playing LeBron James for the first time in 5 years.
Since that Christmas meeting, Durant changed teams twice. Both players have obviously gotten older and somehow haven’t fallen victim to Father Time. So it’s a date, then, Thursday at Crypto Arena (10 ET, TNT), Suns vs. Lakers, Durant and LeBron.
Here’s a five-year rewind of what they (we) missed in the LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant series.
2018-19 season, 3 potential games
- LeBron misses time due to groin strain, rest, load management
During that Christmas game, LeBron suffered the first semi-serious injury of his career. The injury forced him to miss the next matchup against Durant, while rest and load management caused the others. There was no chance for a playoff meeting as health also ruined the Lakers’ season. Remember, the Lakers were under construction with young players — Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram.
Meanwhile, Durant and the Warriors cruised, with a third straight title in sight. They were the top seed in the West and overwhelming favorites to keep the dynasty going.
Aftermath: Durant pulled up lame in the Warriors’ semifinal series with a calf injury, sat the entire Western Conference Finals and rejoined the team during the NBA Finals for one game against Toronto, in which he suffered a torn Achilles. No more Durant, no title for the Warriors.
2019-20 season, 2 potential games
- Durant misses time due to Achilles rehab
There obviously was no chance for Durant to play LeBron, or anyone for that matter, since the entire season, his first with the Nets, was an injury wash.
LeBron’s fortunes were the exact opposite. Buoyed by generally good health and a splashy new co-star in Anthony Davis, he and the Lakers prospered during the pandemic-interrupted season and showed bounce in the bubble. Championship No. 4 for LeBron, with his third different team, was secured.
Aftermath: Durant’s rehab went swimmingly during the offseason, which was shortened because of the pandemic, and he made his return on Dec. 22, 2020 with 22 points against his old mates, the Warriors, in a Nets’ win.
2020-21 season, 2 potential games
LeBron James has a 15-6 record against Kevin Durant in the regular season.
- LeBron misses time due to ankle
- Durant misses time due to hamstring
LeBron’s ankle sprain caused him to miss 26 of the final 30 games of the COVID-shortened season. Coupled with Davis missing half the season, LeBron didn’t have first-round home-court advantage for the first time in his career. Then, another first for him: A first-round exit.
Durant suffered the hamstring pull five days prior to a Feb. 18 game with LeBron, but recovered nicely. And with the new addition of James Harden, the Nets were the bullies of the East once the postseason began.
Aftermath: The only problematic body part for KD was his foot — he touched the 3-point stripe which erased a potential series-clinching shot against the Bucks in the East Finals. Milwaukee rallied, then beat Phoenix in the Finals. Brooklyn would never be the same.
2021-22 season, 2 potential games
- Durant misses time due to knee and health and safety protocols
Crummy injury luck once again haunted Durant. He ran afoul of health and safety in mid-December which canceled a Christmas meeting, cleared right before New Year’s Day, only to suffer a knee sprain 10 days before hosting LeBron and the Lakers. At this point, the Nets began their tailspin that dashed their superteam dreams.
And yet, LeBron was the more frustrated player. Speaking of superteam projections — after acquiring Russell Westbrook, the Lakers had title visions but crashed and burned, missing the playoffs altogether. They were just 11-10 when their “Big Three” played together.
Aftermath: Having lost confidence in the direction of the team, Durant asked for a trade in the summer of 2022. The Lakers fired coach Frank Vogel, replaced him with Darvin Ham, and began plotting ways to ship Westbrook.
2022-23 season, 4 potential games
- LeBron misses time due to abductor strain, ankle and foot
- Durant misses time due to knee, ankle and rest
For the first time, injuries to both players caused them to miss not one, but two games jointly (Jan. 30 and March 22).
That Jan. 30 game was the last chance to get Durant with the Nets against LeBron and the Lakers. Brooklyn sent him to Phoenix shortly after that, putting both players in the same conference. But LeBron suffered a tendon injury. Then the freakiest was Durant’s ankle, twisted during the layup line just before the March meeting.
It wasn’t meant to be, because the Suns rested Durant right before the playoffs, missing a final matchup on April 7. Had this season’s rules regarding load management been in effect, Durant would’ve played that game.
Aftermath: Both players led rejuvenated teams — the Lakers’ midseason trades helped — and made the playoffs. Yet another potential meeting vanished when the Suns lost to the Nuggets in the semifinals. Denver then swept LeBron and the Lakers out in the West finals.
And now, the matchup is back on.
What’s encouraging is how Durant and LeBron are still showpiece stars capable of carrying a franchise. LeBron has athleticism here in his 21st season and remains a top-10 scorer and superb passer. He sparkled at times last spring, while once again playing deep into the postseason.
In the times he was on the floor and healthy, Durant, too, has been a player demanding respect. Still a lethal scorer with solid efficiency and an underrated rebounder and defender, Durant has the Suns thinking realistically about a title.
Assuming good health, Durant and LeBron could meet multiple times, not only in the regular season but also postseason. The last five years suggest otherwise, but a Western Conference Final would be a fun one to add to their book of battles.
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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