NBA Rumors: LeBron James will face off against Kevin Durant for the first time since Christmas 2018 in Lakers' home opener
LeBron James and Kevin Durant will lock horns on October 26th, 2023, nearly five years after their last matchup on Christmas Day. Durant was with the Golden State Warriors then, while James was in his debut season with LA. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the marquee matchup, saying:
"Kevin Durant versus LeBron James for the first time since 2018, that will be October 26th when Phoenix plays the Lakers. This will be the Lakers' home opener. And finally we get to see KD vs LeBron."
James exited his last showdown against KD with an injury. Meanwhile, Durant left the Warriors the next season to join Brooklyn. He sat the whole year out with an Achilles tear. Since then, the two have taken turns being sidelined with injuries whenever their teams have faced off.
Durant has switched multiple teams since then. He never played against LeBron in a Nets jersey. The two are in the same conference for only the second time in their careers. October 26th will likely be a highly anticipated date for NBA fans to see the modern-day legends go at it after a long time.
Several fans online even called for an opening day game to ensure they don't miss another opportunity of seeing LeBron James and Kevin Durant going head-to-head. However, the Lakers have secured an opening night spot against the reining champions Denver Nuggets, who swept them in the conference finals and beat Durant's Suns 4-2 in the second round.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant leading the charge for two Western Conference favorites
LeBron James finally has a contending worthy roster around him after two years. The LA Lakers have made marginal upgrades on the roster that guided them to the conference finals. They are deep and have a chance as good as any other contender to at least reach the conference finals again.
Meanwhile, Kevin Durant is on another top-heavy star-studded squad. The Phoenix Suns added Bradley Beal in a blockbuster trade, shipping Chris Paul to Washington and forming the NBA's newest big three with Durant, Devin Booker and Beal.
They also have a potential All-Star in Deandre Ayton and a veteran like Eric Gordon as their other key players. Barring any injuries in the offseason, preseason and opening night for either James or Durant, they will likely meet again on October 26th.
They will likely have another three meetings during the season. However, there's a good chance they could be matched up in the playoffs too. It could be the last dance between James and Durant, three finals matchups later.