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Brian Windhorst
“Crank Dat (Solja Boy)” The number 1 song on the billboard chart was. “SO IV” was the top film at the box office. The first iPhone was just released.
And Kevin Duunt And Lebron James For the first time played against each other.
It was a forgotable president game in October 2007 with James scored 14 points and barely played in the second half, and a crook, a crook, came out of the bench to score 15 points, including a 3-paper in the fourth quarter, including a final five-point win for Seattle Supersonics.
“I don’t even remember,” James said in 2023. “And I remember a lot.”
Durant and James are OGS, Grabords, UNC or you want to classify them. They have been part of the NBA in three different decades and grew up with each other through a series of mile markers.
They trained together in James’s hometown Akron, Ohio in late summer, running on a notorious hill next to James’ high school, as the students surprised the windows.
They played a flag football game against each other and streamted it online during the 2011 lockout (James’ team won with their late pick-Six).
He was engaged in one of some memorable recent all-star moments, when in 2022 as team captains, they avoided cheering. James Harden In view of Harden is asking for business away from Durant Brooklyn Nets,
In the last summer in Paris, they were the team USA columns in winning a second Olympic gold with full dozen years after winning in London.
And, of course, they played three NBA finals against each other, James won Miami Heat Against durant Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012; And win with durant Golden State Warriors On James’ Cleavland cavelers In 2017 and 2018.
“We both feel that we should have more rings,” James said in the last summer during the Olympics, “But not because of each other.”
After 18 seasons43 games against each other, 14 final matchup (Plus One NBA Cup quarterfinal), James and Durant are still looking for ways to refresh their rivalry. And then, in this season, it promises to be one of the major stories of the league, because Duunt will play his sixth different jersey against James, this time with Houston RocketsSo far, these two future-bottle hall of fames are included in these two future after another blockbuster transaction.
James will face Durant for the fourth time with a new superstar Sidekik (if you are counting Dwayne Wade, Kerry Erving And Anthony davis In the list) as he enters his first full season Luca donic (Durunt has yet to face with up when both play).
“Labron always insists on the main thing, the main thing,” Durant said at the Olympics in the last summer.
“Still want to get up and go to the gym at 6 in the morning and put 1,000 shots every day. Still loved all the miscreants you are throwing at you. To deal with high expectations and love you to deal with you the way you love it.
Lakes and rockets all expect to compete for playoff positioning in all season, with James and Durant, after all these years, Headlineer. They both open at night. They will face again on Christmas day, for the fifth time they are scheduled to play on NBA’s Marquee Regular-Sector Tentpol.
James said in the last season, “If you do not irritate your stomach or your veins, when you are competing against the best, I think at that point you know that it is over,” James said in the last season. “If you are not getting up to play KD or Steif [Curry] Or we have some great talents in the league, then I have lost my drive what the game is. ,
But there are two other different ways in which James and Duperant find themselves again as-by-the-side as they start 2025–26 season, 23rd year of James and 19th of Duvent.
In his career many times he was a certified leader of supertames, whether he is James in Cleveland or Miami, or Golden State in Phoenix, Brooklyn and (at least one attempt). But now, for the first time, both of them are looking at the same – and one better.
After winning the championship in June and signing again Shay Gilgius-Alexander, Jalen Williams And Chet holmagrain For maximum contract extensions in July, Oklahoma City Thunder qualifies.
James (10) and Durant (four) have a combined 14 final appearances between them, but either to add that number in this season, there is a strong chance that they will not only have to defeat each other in Postsen, but can also find a way to ignore the defending champs.
The thunder is stocked with youth and depth, and in many ways, to reduce this era, James and Durant started with their high-profile free agent moves and blockbuster trades, aimed at making championship core in a few days in July.
When Durant and James first played in 2007, Gilgus-Alexander was just 9 years old. Williams was 6 years old. Holmagrain was 5 years old.
“We are at the point where we have found people who were children when we were in the league for the first time and we inspired them,” Duunt said last year. “And now we are playing against them.”
Through other It is that, for the first time, both James and Durant have to face legitimate uncertainty about their futures after 2025–26 season, in part because the changing nature of team building has forced their teams to maneuver and bring them to the past.
James and Lakes did not negotiate a new contract in this summer, and James after lifting his player option and assured that he would be a free agent in 2026, marked for the first time in his career that he had no contract or option for the next season.
Laks, naturally, structured his future around 40 -year -old James, as the center of 26 -year -old Donicic, which signed a most famous three -year expansion earlier this month.
When Durant gave Sun a list of teams in which he wants to do business and involve rockets, it lies that he will be ready to expand his contract there as part of a business.
But no contract was worked as part of the deal in June, and, like James, he has also been given tickets to be an unrestricted free agent in the next summer.
Sources said that rockets and Durant discussed a new contract and believe that they will come on terms, but they have not yet come on an agreement.
Like James, the duraunt is no longer seen as a centerpiece, as the Houston makes a youth of the players obtained through the draft.
Rockets sees Durant as a final component, an experienced who graduates him in the position of a true contender, while he manages to take care of the core players like Jabri Smith JuniorAnd Fred WanwettBoth signed large contracts in this summer, and Alpan SengunA 2025 all-star who signed a big thing in summer of 2024. But there is also Amen Thompson And Tari Ison To consider, two young players who are in a position to pay new deals in the next year.
Finally, Durant may need to accept less than the maximum contract, which he has since he wants to live in Houston.
Like James Sunsetting, as the face of his franchise, no one is trying to deliberately insult these former MVPs. Both teams are facing modern realities or roster building to contest elections for teams in the apron era.
Nevertheless, before anyone indicates retrospectives, James made the second team all-NBA in the previous season and Durant scored 26.6 points on an average and shot 50% or better for the 13th consecutive season.
James and Durant, if they are capable of staying healthy, will again have to say a major in this season. They are not slow, even if they suggest their age that they need.
James said after a game against Sun in the last winter, “I have fought a lot with KD over the years and we have not left many matches left.” “You never want to take it.”
