In a highly anticipated matchup on Thursday evening, LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, creating one of the early marquee showdowns of the 2023-24 NBA season. This game marked the first non-preseason encounter between Durant and James since December 2018, and it concluded with the Lakers securing a hard-fought 100-95 victory, marked by an epic fourth-quarter comeback.

After the game, LeBron shared a moment of admiration by posting a photo of himself and Durant on Instagram with the caption, “A true LEGEND!!! My dog.”

On the following evening, Kevin Durant put on an impressive performance, scoring 39 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, all while playing without his Suns teammates Devin Booker and Bradley Beal. LeBron James, on the other hand, contributed 21 points, including back-to-back layups in the closing moments of the game that proved pivotal in securing the Lakers’ victory.

Throughout their illustrious careers, James and Durant have engaged in numerous high-profile matchups. Their rivalry began in the 2012 NBA Finals when James’ Miami Heat defeated Durant’s Oklahoma City Thunder, earning James his first championship. Subsequently, in 2017 and 2018, Durant’s Golden State Warriors triumphed over James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in consecutive NBA Finals, resulting in two consecutive titles for Durant.

Now, with James at 38 years old and Durant at 35, it’s likely that there won’t be many more head-to-head battles between arguably the two greatest players of their generation. Therefore, fans should cherish these matchups while they still occur. The mutual respect between these two stars, evident after Thursday’s game, adds to the significance of these encounters.