LeBron has a ton of respect for Durant after their battles over the years.
The Los Angeles Lakers picked up a massive 100-92 road victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night at the Toyota Center, and afterward, LeBron James took some time to praise the player he's been battling for nearly two decades.
James finished with 18 points, five rebounds and five assists while Luka Doncic led the way with 36 points to push the Lakers to their sixth straight win.
The victory moved Los Angeles to 43-25 on the season, now 1.5 games ahead of Houston for third place in the Western Conference.
Kevin Durant scored 18 points in the loss as the Rockets dropped to 41-26, but the night wasn't all about the box score for James.
When asked postgame about what version of Durant has been the hardest to guard over the years, LeBron didn't hesitate.
"I mean, every version," James said.
Every Stop, Every Challenge
It was the type of answer that only someone with James' experience could give, and he went on to break down exactly why each chapter of Durant's career presented its own unique challenge.
On Durant's time with the Golden State Warriors, James pointed to the impossible spacing that Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry created around him.
"He was super dynamic because you couldn't put multiple bodies in front of him because of the threat of Klay and Steph at all times," James said.
"You know, so that was super dynamic."
James then reflected on Durant's time in Brooklyn, where the supporting cast once again made things nearly impossible for opposing defenses.
"Smaller sample, but when Kyrie and James were there, you couldn't put multiple bodies," James said.
"Any time you can't put multiple bodies in front of a player that can score like that it's very challenging."
Respect From the Beginning
Even going all the way back to Durant's early days in Oklahoma City alongside Russell Westbrook and James Harden, LeBron had nothing but respect for what Durant has always brought to the table.
"Even when he was young with Russ and James, he's never not been great at basketball," James said.
That quote sums up the respect James has for Durant, and it goes both ways between two of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen.
A Big Win in a Tight Race
As for the game itself, the Lakers trailed 57-51 at halftime before Doncic caught fire and hit back-to-back threes in the third quarter to swing the lead.
Houston committed 24 turnovers compared to just 12 for Los Angeles, and that gap in ball security was the difference in a game that featured 13 lead changes and a playoff-like atmosphere.
The Rockets were also without All-Star center Alperen Sengun, who sat out with lower back pain, and his absence was felt on both ends of the floor.
Durant is still averaging 26.0 points on the season while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three, proving once again that he remains one of the most dangerous scorers in basketball at 37 years old.
James and the Lakers will run it back against the Rockets on Wednesday in Houston for Game 2 of the back-to-back series, and given how tight the Western Conference standings are right now, neither team can afford to give an inch.