Watch: Kevin Durant lulls LeBron James to sleep, before hitting deep 3 over Lakers star
Kevin Durant faced off against LeBron James in an NBA game after nearly five years on Thursday, and the 13-time All-Star made sure to give fans something to marvel at while on the court along with his fellow league superstar.
One of those plays occurred late in the second period of the preseason game between the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers on October 19 in Palm Springs, California.
While bringing the ball down, Kevin Durant found himself being guarded by James. After surveying the defense being put up against him, the Phoenix superstar pulled up for a three on top of the key and drained it. The made triple cut the Lakers’ lead to three, 54-51, at the 1:43 mark of the second period.
Watch: Kevin Durant surprises LeBron James with a triple from beyond the arc
The Suns-Lakers preseason game was the first match that Kevin Durant and LeBron James shared the court together since their Christmas Day battle in 2018. ‘KD’ was still playing for the Golden State Warriors then while ‘Bron’ was in his first year with the Lakers.
The game was won by the Lakers 127-101 with James chalking up a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds. Durant, for his part, had all-around numbers of 21 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.
After that, injuries, on top of other reasons, prevented them from battling each other.
This season, provided they stay healthy, fans could see more of the two future Hall-of-Famers colliding as both of them are playing in the Western Conference and their teams among the top contenders in the grouping.
Kevin Durant to be honored by Golden State on opening night
Opening night of the 2023-24 NBA season will be a tad more special for Kevin Durant as he is set to be honored by the Golden State Warriors, who he helped win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018.
"KD" and the Phoenix Suns will open their campaign against the Warriors at Chase Center on October 24. It marks the first time that he will be playing on the home floor of his former team with fans in attendance after leaving for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy told 95.7 The Game that now is the right time to honor Kevin Durant, who was the finals MVP in each of their two championships with him in tow.
Dunleavy said:
"We gotta figure out a way to appropriately honor Kevin. He hasn’t actually played in Chase Center since departing. I know it’s been a while, but anytime great players like that who have given so much to the franchise come back, you gotta figure out a way to honor them. We’ll do that appropriately."
Check out the interview below, starting at the 4:03 mark:
Durant played three seasons in Golden State and averaged 25.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.5 blocks throughout his stay.