(Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM)
LeBron James and Kevin Durant are regarded as two of the most important players in the modern NBA, and fans are always eager to watch their battles in both regular season and playoff games.
Well, the two NBA superstars faced off for the first time in five years during the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Phoenix Suns game on Thursday.
It was a back-and-forth contest, with James ultimately leading the Lakers to a close 100-95 victory over the Devin Booker and Bradley Beal-less Suns.
This was yet another chapter in the rivalry between James and Durant, which NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith doesn’t consider “that important” to the NBA, as he revealed via “First Take” on Twitter.
“I don’t think it’s been that important,” Smith claimed.
.@stephenasmith doesn’t think the KD-LeBron rivalry has been “that important” to the NBA.
Agree? pic.twitter.com/l7vcwjVs8V
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 27, 2023
In the close matchup, James finished with 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists in 35 minutes.
Durant also had a sensational performance, putting up 39 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists in 39 minutes.
Despite an electrifying individual performance, the Suns ultimately failed to feed off of Durant’s energy.
Coming back to Smith’s point, there are a few rivalries that changed the course of the NBA, such as Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who helped the NBA recover from the brink of bankruptcy.
Sure, James and Durant’s rivalry may not be quite at that level, but it holds some importance to the league.
The two superstars faced off in back-to-back Finals in 2017 and 2018, as well as in the 2012 NBA Finals.
Those battles between James and Durant generated huge revenue for the league.
So, the rivalry was and will remain important for the NBA to generate more revenue due to both superstars’ insane popularity.
The post Stephen A. Smith Makes Surprising Claim About 1 NBA Rivalry appeared first on The Cold Wire.