A matchup between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is always must-see television. After all, it's not too often that these two future Hall of Famers, and two of the best small forwards to ever grace an NBA court, square off against each other. But for the past few years, the two haven't shared an NBA court due to injury problems for either star.

But on Thursday night, James and Durant will finally have their long-overdue rematch as the Lakers take on the Suns at home. It actually has been so long that over a thousand days have passed since the last time they battled on the court for their respective NBA teams.

According to ClutchPoints Twitter (X), the last time LeBron James played against Kevin Durant happened 1,767 days ago, when James' Lakers took on Kevin Durant's Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day 2018.

Lakers fans should remember that day fondly; after all, James and the Purple and Gold's young guns — Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Ivica Zubac — crushed the reigning champion Warriors, serving as the Grinch to their Christmas. They defeated them by 26 points, 127-101, after they held Durant to 5-13 shooting from the field for 21 points and they stymied Stephen Curry to the tune of 5-17 shooting for 15 points.

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Since then, either James and Durant have been injured every single time their two teams faced. During the 2019-20 season, following Durant's move to the Brooklyn Nets, KD was out for the entire season as he recovered from a torn Achilles. The following season, Durant was out in their February 2021 matchup due to a hamstring strain and then James was out two months later thanks to an ankle injury.

Meanwhile, during the 2021-22 season, Kevin Durant had to deal with the more stringent COVID-19 protocols and then he nursed a sprained knee, missing out on both occasions. And then during the 2022-23 season, it was the Lakers star's turn to miss out due to a strained adductor, while both stars missed the January 2023 clash. Just to add further insult to injury, after Durant's trade to the Suns, he also failed to suit up on two occasions against the Lakers.

Hopefully it's truly all systems go for the upcoming LeBron James versus Kevin Durant matchup that everybody has waited nearly five years to bear witness to once again.