In the first preseason game last night between the Lakers and the Nets, LeBron James and Kevin Durant were off the field. But if all goes well, the two superstars will share the same floor this season. Logically at Christmas, and maybe even in the NBA Finals next June to make up for lost time. Because it’s still … three years since BronBron and KD have been avoiding each other.
Yes, three years. Like what, time flies, very very quickly. We saw the stat on reddit and after digging a little into ESPN and Basket-Reference, we confirm. The last meeting between LeBron James and Kevin Durant in an NBA game dates back to December 25, 2018, when the Warriors and the Lakers were opposed at Oracle Arena. Back then, LeBron was still playing with orange ball geniuses like Lance Stephenson, and the Slim Reaper was in a real armada. Well, that hasn’t really changed, it’s just that KD has moved from Oakland to Brooklyn in the meantime. That night is remembered very well because not only was it Christmas time, but mostly because LeBron injured his groin, missing the next 17 games. Never in his career has the King spent so much time in the hospital wing. So inevitably, it marks the spirits. In the three other meetings between Golden State and Los Angeles during the 2018-19 regular season, LeBron was absent and then he watched the Playoffs from his couch for the first time since 2005. Playoffs in which KD was injured in his turn. First in the calf, before suffering that terrible Achilles tendon rupture in the NBA Finals. Hop, white season for Durant in 2019-20 while LeBron regained his throne in the anti-COVID bubble. Finally, last season, between Kevin who only plays half of the matches for various minor injuries / load management and James’s ankle who turns badly one evening in March, we were not entitled to the slightest opposition between the two superstars.
So it’s starting to take a long time. Very long. Especially when we remember their memorable duels, both in the regular season and in the NBA Finals. When LeBron was in Miami and Durant at OKC, it was particularly epic, with the two finding themselves on the biggest stage for the first time in 2012, when the King won his first brawl. And then there were these two confrontations during the 2017 and 2018 Finals, each time won by the Durant Warriors, author in particular of two huge shoots on the floor of the King. So many great memories that will be remembered. But now we want more, because you have to remember that James is going to be 37 very soon and Durant is now 33 years old. It’s not like they have all the time in front of them, eh. The next potential meeting between LeBron and KD? It’s December 25, three years to the day after their last confrontation. The Nets will indeed travel to Staples Center in Los Angeles on Christmas Eve for an XXL shock that should represent the greatest gift for basketball fans. On the condition of course that the two armadas are complete, which is not guaranteed at all especially when we see the average age of the Lakers, and we remember the many small sores that marked the Nets season. last year. But in any case, we have already highlighted the date on our calendar. LeBron’s and KD’s gang will also face off on January 25 in Brooklyn for rematch, before battling it out – potentially – in the 2022 NBA Finals.
LeBron James vs Kevin Durant, KD vs The King. For many seasons, it was THE unmissable duel in the NBA, with the two monsters in turn being considered the best players on the planet. After three years without a direct confrontation, we can’t wait any longer!
