Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant continues to break records each season with Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, who Durant considers one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
“There’s 8 billion people in the world to be No. 1 in anything, we found that out last week, so to be No. 1 all-time in scoring basketball, I’m sure. There’s different emotions for it,” Durant said at Friday’s shootaround.
At several NBA betting sites, Kevin Durant has the seventh-best odds to win the MVP in 2023. Some sportsbooks are projecting LeBron James at No. 19 overall.
“Durant and James haven’t played since the 2018 Christmas game due to various injuries to both players.”
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Wow, that’s a long time. LeBron James and Kevin Durant haven’t been active in the same game in four years https://t.co/g7N8SjA9DC— 𝐄𝐱𝐱𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐩KEY (@exavierpope) November 25, 2022
“It’s great to be in an era where we can see that live,” Kevin Durant continued. “Maybe you can’t even describe the emotions and feelings that he, his family and friends are going through, but it’s great to see it up close.”
On Wednesday, Durant moved past Kevin Garnett for 18th on the all-time scoring list in a 112-98 win over the Toronto Raptors. He enters Friday night’s matchup against the Indiana Pacers with 26,074 career points.
What’s more, Durant hasn’t faced James since Christmas 2018. In each of the past four years, at least one of the superstars has missed time due to illness or injury.
Nets forward Kevin Durant says it’s “great” to see Lakers star LeBron James break records.
The Nets forward needs 322 points to pass Boston Celtics legend John Havlikek for the 20th time. Meanwhile, Durant is 324 points away from passing retired Celtics star Paul Pierce for 19th place (26,397).
Kevin Durant added: “I didn’t think about it until you all started lifting. “He’s obviously a top-two player, he’s a top-3 player playing the game, so it’s always exciting when he gets on the floor.
And it’s been a long time since we’ve seen so many battles between the two of us that people look forward to. It’s good that we’re still relevant in our old age, people want to watch us play.
Last night, Kevin Durant joined LeBron James as the only players with 26,000 career points.
Both have reached that point in the same amount 955 🤯 pic.twitter.com/pkQVYGM524
— Hilltop Hoops (@HilltopNBA) November 18, 2022
Like LeBron James, the four-time MVP has 37,311 career points, second only to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (38,387). Of course, James has missed the last five games this season due to injury.
Through 10 starts this season, the 20-year-old veteran is averaging 24.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 1.1 steals. He is also shooting 45.7% from the field and 23.9% from downtown.
To date, Kevin Durant and James are the only active NBA players with at least 26,000 career points.
On January 30, 2023, the Lakers take on the Nets at Barclays Center. If both players can stay healthy for that matchup, fans will finally get to see the two all-time greats battle again.
According to the Lakers’ injury report, the 18-time All-Star is questionable for Friday night’s road game against the San Antonio Spurs. And James is expected to return for this match.
