Watch: LeBron James and Kevin Durant inspect balls ahead of first NBA showdown in 5 years
LeBron James and Kevin Durant are set to face off for the first time in five years on Thursday night at Crypto.com Arena. The two superstars inspected the balls that would be used in the must-watch showdown between the LA Lakers and Phoenix Suns.
In the video below, James and Durant can be seen conversing before the game. They talked to an arena personnel, possibly an equipment manager in charge of the basketballs. They inspected a total of five balls and chose the best three to be used in the game.
The last time LeBron James and Kevin Durant faced each other was on Christmas Day in 2018. James was in his first season with the LA Lakers and Durant was still with the Golden State Warriors. "KD" left Golden State at the end of the season to join the Brooklyn Nets.
In their last game against each other, the Lakers got a huge 127-101 win. "The King" finished with 17 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while Durant had 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
It was a different story for the two superstars at the end of that season. James suffered a season-ending groin injury and the Lakers missed the playoffs while Durant helped the Warriors reach the NBA Finals against the Toronto Raptors. However, Durant suffered a torn Achilles tendon and missed the entire 2019-20 season.
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Why LeBron James and Kevin Durant have not faced each other in 5 years?
Thursday's matchup between the LA Lakers and Phoenix Suns is the first time LeBron James and Kevin Durant faced each other since 2018. As mentioned above, Durant missed the entire 2019-20 NBA season.
Injuries are the main reason why the two superstars have not faced each other in quite a while. With Durant's move to the Brooklyn Nets in 2019, they would only play the Lakers twice in the regular season.
In Durant's first season back, both superstars had an injury when the other was healthy during the two scheduled matchups. For the 2021-22 NBA season, Durant was dealing with a minor injury in the first and was on COVID-19 protocols in the second.
Last season, "KD" and LeBron had four potential games, but injuries prevented them as well. The matchup was seemingly so cursed in the last five years that they even missed three matchups in the All-Star Game.
Nevertheless, the drought ends on Thursday night and they will have three more games to make up for the lost matchups for the rest of the season. James got Durant's number in the regular season at 15-6, but Durant has the 9-5 advantage in the playoffs.
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