The NBA media had been pretty occupied with questioning LeBron James‘ greatness and legacy after the self-proclaimed King failed to get over the hump time and again in the final stages of the postseason. However, the Miami Heat winning the 2012 and the 2013 NBA Championships warranted a shift in prevalent narratives. The rise of the Kevin Durant-led Oklahoma City Thunder provided the perfect segue to King James’ Kingdom which now had strong dissenters in the West. However, the rivalry between the two biggest superstars in the NBA was founded on friendship and a sense of brotherhood that allowed them to appreciate each other’s craft. In fact, LeBron James claimed in a 2014 interview that Kevin Durant is the one guy in the NBA who motivates him.
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Kevin Durant winning the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player award marked an important chapter for the Oklahoma City Thunder at the time. When the Big Three of LeBron, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh in Miami were on the verge of monopolizing the league, the rise of a young team led by the likes of Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Serge Ibaka provided hope for competition. The rise of an elite scorer like KD especially intrigued fans as the King finally had a challenger for his crown.
LeBron James admitted that Kevin Durant inspired him to be better
A few months before Durant won his first MVP, LeBron James sat down for a candid interview with NBA TV in February of 2014. During the conversation, the then two-time NBA Champion was asked to name a player in the NBA who motivates him. James didn’t hesitate before naming KD, who was having an all-time season that year.
“I feel like [Kevin Durant is] next in line…I love the way he plays the game…I’m talking about his play. The way he plays every single night is very inspiring, motivating. This is a guy who goes out every single night and gives it his all,” James told the interviewer.
LeBron didn’t seem to care about the interviewer’s adlib about KD not having any rings. And it’s pretty obvious why. The Akron Hammer himself was chastised by the media for a long time for not having a ring despite his individual dominance.
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The four-time MVP could see Durant’s potential in the NBA. That year, KD finished first in MVP voting ahead of LeBron James, averaging a career-high 32 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.5 assists, shooting 50.3% from the floor and 39.1% from beyond the arc. He had led the Thunder to the second spot in the West with a record of 59-23 while tallying at least 25 points in 41 consecutive games. The then 25-year-old rightfully ended up with 119 first place votes out of 125 in the MVP ballot, bringing his total points to 1232.
KD never saw LeBron as his enemy
The NBA currently has a number of MVP-caliber superstars vying for the top spot in the league. However, the competition in the NBA was once very polarized, with LeBron James and Kevin Durant standing at two opposing poles.
However, Durant never really liked the idea of dramatizing his competition with James. “People see two young black basketball players at the top of their game and think we should clash. They want the conflict. They want the hate. They forget Bird cried for Magic,” KD once said.
However, the 13-time All-Star immediately clarified that just because they share mutual respect doesn’t mean they take it easy against each other on the court. But there’s a distinction between competition and tearing each other apart-Bron and KD always made sure to remember the distinction, even while going against each other in the NBA Finals.