Report: Here’s When LeBron James, Kevin Durant Will Face Off for First Time in Five Years

With the NBA set to reveal its schedule next week, one highly anticipated matchup has already been leaked. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reports the Suns and Lakers are set to play each other in Los Angeles for the first time this season on Oct. 26, just two days after opening night, which would mark the first time LeBron James and Kevin Durant play each other since 2018.

Both Los Angeles and Phoenix are set to play on opening night, as the Lakers go to Denver to face the defending champion Nuggets and the Suns head to Golden State to play the Warriors on Oct. 24. Presumably, this means that Lakers vs. Suns will be each team’s second game of the season, a sign that the NBA wants to get a LeBron vs. Durant as quick as possible.

Three more notable games on NBA’s 2023-24 season schedule – including the date Lakers‘ LeBron James and Suns‘ Kevin Durant face off for first time since 2018: pic.twitter.com/hcJ42DUFFc

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 11, 2023

Due to injuries and Durant’s move to the Eastern Conference while James stayed out west, the two stars have missed games against each other for five years. Even last year, when the Suns and Lakers played after the trade deadline, Durant missed the game with an injury.

Now that both players are in the same division, they will have more scheduled games together. Los Angeles and Phoenix are also reportedly scheduled for games on Christmas Day, as the Lakers will host the Celtics and the Suns host the Mavericks.

Besides Lakers–Suns, Charania also reported that the Celtics will host the Heat on Oct. 27 in an Eastern Conference Finals rematch, and the Nuggets will host the Heat in an NBA Finals rematch on Feb. 29.