Kevin Durant 2018: Is He in Bad Terms With LeBron James?

The latest NBA drama involves two of its biggest stars — Kevin Durant and LeBron James. Ironically, they were known for being good friends off the court but will Durant’s recent comments change that?

Basketball fans were surprised with Durant thoughts about James shared in a recent interview. Needless to say, it was a juicy choice of words where he seemingly explained why it is hard to be in the same team as James.

Kevin Durant told Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher that good NBA players playing alongside James are often required to change their playing style to match James’ “deman” on the court. The 30-year-old player cited James’ former teammates in Cavaliers and Heat as examples and said, “Kevin Love, he had to totally change his game to fit, to be a shooter … Bosh, same way.”

The Warriors forward then suggested James should also learn to play without the need of changing the already good players’ shooting skills. “Like, young players that are still developing, it's always going to be hard because he demands the ball so much, he demands control of the offense and he creates for everybody,” Durant added. He also hit James’ “many fanboys in the media” who make it “toxic” to play alongside James.

Meanwhile, it does not seem like James is immediately taking Durant’s comments negatively so they might still be friends amid the controversy. When the LA Lakers star was asked to respond, he insisted on seeing “the whole transcript of what was asked of [Durant.]”

“So I'm not gonna comment on it because I don't know the whole thing. That would be stupid on my part. I'm a veteran,” James told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

Durant’s statements were not the first to suggest that James’ performance has the tendency to overshadow other great players in his team. Back in 2017, Kyrie Irving asked the Cavs management to be traded, which later sent him to the Celtics. It started the rumors that he wants to establish his own legacy outside of James’ wing. Irving did not confirm any of these rumors, but he told Cleveland.com that his decision was based on wanting to be “in an environment that’s conducive for my potential.”