LeBron James, Kevin Durant finally set to end noteworthy streak

The NBA is finally giving the people what they want after five long years.

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Friday that LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to face Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 26. It will be the home opener for the Lakers as well as the first time that James and Durant have played each other head-to-head since all the way back in 2018.

The two superstars James and Durant have arguably the greatest rivalry of their generation, playing at the same position and having met in the NBA Finals three different times (with Durant winning two of those matchups). But due to both ill-timed injuries and Durant constantly changing teams, a head-to-head matchup with both James and Durant playing against each other hasn’t happened in five years. You can read more about their odd history of recent misses here.

Since James and Durant now play in the same division, it was inevitable the streak would finally end at some point. But the NBA appears to be stepping in here and scheduling the matchup for the very start of the 2023-24 season to avoid any further disappointments.