Kevin Durant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry have been three of the best players in the NBA over the past decade, and while they are rivals of sorts, they have developed a close bond with each other. When discussing their relationship, though, Durant kept it 100% percent real on the nature of their friendship.
Durant, James, and Curry have been competing against each other on various teams for well over a decade now. That includes a brief stint when Durant and Curry teamed up with each other, and when they all played for Team USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics, helping their country win a gold medal.
All that competition has helped these guys become close to each other off the court, which shouldn’t be much of a surprise. But as Durant shared, once they step onto the court and face off against each other, the gloves come off, as they cannot afford to be friendly with one another.
“It’s a dog eat dog world in the NBA. Don’t want nobody to take anything that you got. You got to build up that dislike, not in a bad way, but when you’re on the floor, you can’t be friends. You can’t be cool with these guys. You can’t admire them,” Durant said in an ESPN interview alongside James and Curry.
While this trio are friendly off the court, they cannot be friends on the court, unless, of course, they are playing on the same team. If they let their guard down for one second, these guys are so competitive that they will take advantage of it. And with so much on the line, that’s simply something you can’t risk having happen.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, and Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant
This doesn’t apply just to Durant, James, and Curry, but to anyone who plays in the NBA. You can become friends with guys on other teams, but if you take the court on opposing teams, you have to become enemies. That’s the only way to succeed in the league.
Durant, James, and Curry have employed that mentality better than anyone, and that’s a big reason why they are so successful. And if they want to reach the top of the mountain again this season, they may just have to go through each other in order to get there.