Kevin Durant gives his thoughts on facing LeBron and Bronny James for the first time in the NBA.

Entering his 18th year in the NBA, Kevin Durant is beginning to appreciate smaller moments as he closes out his decorated career with the Phoenix Suns. Part of that includes appreciating the games he has left against longtime rival LeBron James.

However, in the 2024-2025 season, Durant acknowledged that he will now have to go up against two members of the James family with Bronny James now a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The 36-year-old called the idea of facing both members of the family “crazy” but is looking forward to doing so, even in a preseason setting.

“[Playing against Bronny James] will be cool,” Durant told reporter Mark Medina ahead of the Suns’ preseason opener. “I remember Bronny running around when he was in elementary school, being around [LeBron James] and his family 10, 12, 13 years ago. So this moment is pretty cool to see him out on the court with James Jr. on his back with his dad is crazy.”

The 40 games in which James and Durant face each other have always been noteworthy. The Lakers guard star owns the all-time head-to-head record of 23-17 but Durant has won nine playoff series between the two as opposed to just five for James.

Suns begin 2024-2025 preseason against Lakers

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Before the regular season even begins, Durant may get his first opportunity to play against both LeBron and Bronny James with the Suns traveling to the Lakers for their preseason opener on Oct. 6. However, neither Durant nor LeBron James is guaranteed to see the court as two of the oldest players in the league.

Aside from Bronny James, the game will also feature notable rookies Dalton Knecht, Ryan Dunn and Armen Traore. Dunn, the 28th overall pick of the 2024 NBA Draft, was traded to Phoenix on draft night after originally being selected by Denver. Los Angeles’ head coach, JJ Redick, will coach his second preseason game after accepting the job as Darvin Ham’s replacement in the offseason.

Once the regular season begins, Phoenix will look to begin the season on the right foot after being swept by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. The Lakers also lost in the first round of the playoffs and were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets for the second straight year.

Despite criticism for the way their season ended, the Suns decided to keep the core of their roster together in the offseason centered around Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic.