LeBron James and Kevin Durant are two of the most talented players of this generation. While James was put under huge expectations right from the start, Durant’s unique skills and stature mean that the two have 6 NBA championships between them. The two are regarded as one of the best in their respective positions and have faced off against each other on 21 occasions, according to StatMuse.
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This does not include the recent preseason match between Phoenix Suns and LA Lakers, which the former won comfortably. While James has a 15-6 winning record against Kevin Durant and his teams, both players have produced multiple remarkable performances against each other over the years.
The two seem to stack up well when it comes to career numbers as well. While LeBron averaged 28.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game, Durant produced 29.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5 assists on average, according to Basketball Reference.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant have played 21 times against each other
Over the years, there have been a range of entertaining matchups both in the regular season and the postseason, between Durant and LeBron. This was especially true during the former’s Golden State Warriors days, which seems to be the only period when Durant would regularly come out on top.
Regardless, James enjoys a 15-6 record against KD and has produced on his own when called upon as well. He has averaged 28 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in the 21 games the two have played thus far. KD on the other hand, has fared slightly better, averaging 28.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.
While KD has outscored LeBron 15 of the 21 times, James has emerged victorious in the majority of the games. This is in part also due to the fact that James has famously always been a “pass-first” guy, and often chooses to set up his teammates instead of taking shots.
Kevin Durant vs Lebron looking like the GS days pic.twitter.com/yrQM9erN6C
— ☆ (@Stunna999_) October 20, 2023
On the other hand, Kevin Durant, a forward, is more of a natural scorer and generally emerges as the leading scorer for his teams. The two only recently faced off in the preseason and are set to play against each other in the upcoming regular season as well.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant have not faced off with each other since 2018
The fact that James and KD have been in different conferences for most of their careers has played a part. At the same time, KD has also had injury issues of late, which means that the two last faced off back in December 2018.
As always, the 2018 Christmas game proved to be highly entertaining. KD again managed to outscore James but ended up on the losing side.
He produced 21 points, 7 assists, and 7 rebounds while LeBron could only manage 17 points. However, James finished with a double-double and had 13 rebounds and 5 assists to go as well.
Of course, like most of the games between the two, KD once again finished on the losing side. Despite all of the Warriors’ major stars available, the DubNation lost 127-101.
