LeBron James and Kevin Durant going up against each other is always a treat, considering they’re the last two superstars from the mid 2000s balling it out on a weekly basis. And while their careers can’t really be compared, James knows how lethal Durant is. He doesn’t need to be in GOAT conversations for that.
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Durant is one of the greatest, most versatile scorers ever, and has proved that on several teams over the course of his career. On Monday, however, when Durant, now with the Rockets, faced the Lakers, he faltered, putting up just 18 points. Does that mean James took him easily? Absolutely not.
After their 45th matchup (RS +PS), James was told that Durant had admitted the Miami Heat version of him was the toughest to guard. When asked which version of KD he would put up there, the Lakers icon said it is every version.
“Every version,” he answered. “He just gets better and better and better. Honestly, him at Golden State was super dynamic, he could just put multiple bodies in front of him because of the threat of playing Steph. So, that was super dynamic.”
“And also, his time in Brooklyn too. When Kyrie and James were out there, he could [do the same]…”
“And also, we had our battles in the finals too. Even when he was young, him and Russ and James, he was, he’s never not been great at basketball. So every version,” James added.
Kevin Durant said Heat Lebron is the toughest player he had to guard in his career
LBJ on which version of KD is hard to guard:
“Every version. He’s never not been great at basketball” pic.twitter.com/aoUDNoFQ55
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) March 17, 2026
James covered it all when he said Durant has just always been great. Of course, the only titles he won were with Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors, but even the OKC Thunder, Brooklyn Nets, and Phoenix Suns versions of the Slim Reaper were deadly.
To put into context just how good Durant’s numbers have been, his worst ever scoring season in the league was his rookie campaign with Seattle when he put up 20.8 ppg. His best? With the OKC Thunder when he won the MVP in 2014. He averaged 32.0 ppg.
Now 37, some would say Durant is slowing down. But he’s still averaging 26 points a game, and is the most important piece in the Rockets’ bid for a championship.
