Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has waged countless battles against Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, giving fans treats straight from the basketball gods.
Such head-to-head matchups have ignited plenty of debates between fanbases but who among these foes deserve the title of James' one true rival? ESPN's Brian Windhorst, who's been covering the four-time MVP's career for the longest time, chimed in during an episode of ESPN's Get Up, where he awarded Durant with the distinction.
“LeBron's great rival was not Kobe Bryant, it is Kevin Durant.”
If people were to put an immense weight on an analyst's opinion about LeBron, then Windhorst is the only person who deserves such treatment. He's followed James' rise from his high school days to the peak of his NBA powers. If the banana boat crew were to arrive at an exclusive party for James' circle, Windy would probably be at the bar drinking wine already.
Bryant and James never met each other in the NBA Finals—the league was robbed of that opportunity in 2009. Meanwhile, Stephen Curry can make a legitimate case for himself after having fought James in four straight June dances.
As for Durant, he and James met each other thrice in the NBA Finals but everyone was already looking forward to the crossing of their paths on the big stage dating back from KD's early years. In terms of playing style, Durant was Larry Bird to LeBron James' Magic Johnson.
The good news is these two superstars may very well arrange another Finals date in the coming years as the Lakers and Brooklyn Nets are looking like title contenders for a few more seasons.
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