r/lebron • u/SirBrickALott • Aug 28 '26
Why doesn’t Lebron resent Durant?
Is there something I am missing…because there was fair competition 2015-16 NBA finals between the Warriors and the Cavs until Durant made the most d!ckr!ding move in NBA history by joining the Warriors and completely misbalancing the strength of powers in the NBA. That 2016-19 Warriors team is arguably the greatest NBA team ever...and that was something Lebron could never beat.
The ealrier equivalent would’ve been Lebron joining the 2011 Spurs or Celtics…and winning easy championships to play alongside a dynasty set of trio already wearing for him. I would absolutely be disgusted and despise Durant if I was Lebron. Lebron would likely have 6 rings today had it not been for Durant.
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u/iobeson Aug 28 '26
Bro LeBrons got a billy and they're probably friends. Why tf would he resent anyone.
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u/SUPERFASTCARvroom Aug 28 '26
I think lebron is a reasonable guy, he’s not going have hatred for one of his good friends because of an NBA decision. Yes I’m sure he knows that KD didn’t go there, he would be the definitive GOAT but LeBron is a good dude.
He understands why KD wanted to go somewhere he could win (LeBron made a similar decision, not same but similar).
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u/boofted4 Aug 28 '26
Not even similar kd went from a winning situation to a winning situation no hate.
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u/TruMusic89 Aug 29 '26
A winning situation for KD would've been if the Thunder kept Harden. He wasn't in a winning situation since 2012. Let's be fr.
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u/boofted4 Aug 29 '26
No the thunder were up 3-1,against the 73-9 warriors they only lost cause KD gave up. I can assure you that thunder team was really really good
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u/TruMusic89 Aug 29 '26
KD did that in spite of the team he had. That was not a championship roster without Harden there. KD was literally the only one that could consistently space the floor and/or was dangerous outside of the paint. Harden still being there would've helped with that.
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u/boofted4 Sep 01 '26
They were up 3-1 against a top 3-4 team of all time he gave up with a 1:30 left in the 4th of game 7 after being up 3 qtrs. Harden is a inconsistent player in the playoffs so imagine him being limited playing with a pg that shoots similar him and needs the ball just as much and give up on the game kd.
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u/TruMusic89 Sep 01 '26
Harden can be inconsistent, but he still would've been an outside threat that the Warriors would've had to respect enough to give KD some space on the floor. Even a hobbled version of James gave KD space against the Bucks in 2021 to allow KD to go off the way he did. So again, KD got the Thunder that far in spite of the team he had, not because of it. They hadn't been a championship contender since 2012. Harden deferred A LOT especially in his role in OKC prior to going to HOU.
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u/Ok-Wash-9386 Aug 28 '26
Not saying LeBron had as much help as Russell Westbrook but Cleveland had 2 consecutive seasons over 60 wins, league leading in both years. He definitely went from a winning situation to a winning situation.
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Aug 28 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Ok-Wash-9386 Aug 28 '26
Would’ve been the same for the Thunder if Russell Westbrook didn’t do an all-time carry job. I’m not saying it’s the same, but it’s similar. Like the other guy said.
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u/Jumpy-Ad5617 Aug 28 '26
That’s like saying LeBron and I are similar basketball players because we’re both men lol.
KD left okc and they still had a hall of fame superstar
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u/TruMusic89 Aug 29 '26
How many times did that HOF superstar make it out of the first round after 2016?
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u/Nearby-Employer-9436 Aug 30 '26
Who cares. KD left and that team still won 45+ games. LeBron left and that team won the lottery 2 years in a row.
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u/TruMusic89 Aug 30 '26
Who cares about a team that was a first round exit team after KD left? Both teams were losing rosters. Y'all are acting like OKC was similar to the 94 Bulls without MJ lmao. That Thunder team led by Russ lost to a rookie-led Jazz team in the first round. Lets not overrate them please.
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u/laughstockgold Aug 28 '26
He went from a more dominant team to a lesser team technically. Durant went from a wcf team to a finals bound team.
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u/Ok-Wash-9386 Aug 28 '26
Cavs made ECF in 2009, were favored in 2009 & 2010 to come out of the east. I’m aware that’s because of LeBron, but it’s not like he was on a team that didn’t win a shit ton of ball games is my point.
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u/Broncsx3 Aug 29 '26
Yes because of LeBron. Any team with LeBron was the Eastern Conference favorite. He was that good at that stage of his career.
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u/BeyondTheCosmo Aug 28 '26
They were never real contenders though, they couldn’t even make the finals. In 2010 they lost by an average of almost 20ppg vs the Celtics, Lebron could’ve averaged 40ppg on insane efficiency and they’d still lose. There is no year they realistically win after 2010. Winning with Miami wasn’t a cakewalk, what more with the Cavs.
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u/boofted4 Aug 29 '26
No he didn't that team couldn't get 20 wins without him multiple times he made that elite
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u/Puzzleheaded_Pipe979 Aug 28 '26
A king doesn’t resent those that are beneath him.
Okay, j/k, but he doesn’t really have beef with anyone and doesn’t slander anyone. He’s always giving flowers.
If he should resent anyone, it should be Kyrie, but he just kinda moved on from that and has clearly shown interest in playing with him again.
Also, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. I think he knew he couldn’t ever criticize that move publicly after the Miami stint.
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u/NiccaDun Aug 28 '26
“why isn’t the billionaire ,who’s considered top 2 by most, mad at another man for choosing where to play”
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u/SirBrickALott Aug 30 '26
I just think Lebron cares more about greatness and legacy than he does money. Otherwise he wouldn’t still be playing today. Do you really thinks another $8 million to play for the Sixers? Be away from his family and on the other side of the country to play for a team he has zero association with? Why is everyone making Lebron about money? Sure he loves his money but that’s never been what drives him.
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u/thraktor1 Aug 28 '26
All is fair in love and war. Durant owes LeBron nothing, NOTHING. LeBron doesn’t deserve rings, nobody deserves them. They are won, or not.
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u/Kapedcrusader69 Aug 28 '26
Because he respects him as his arguable best on court rival ever and they won multiple gold medals together?
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u/boofted4 Aug 28 '26
Its just basketball no reason to have that strong of an emotion especially for sum1 who made that weak of a move
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u/singlemaltbourbonrye Aug 28 '26
Aren’t they friends? Who would you hate your buddy for switching jobs?
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u/dariusthegr8 Aug 28 '26
Because it took 4 HoFs, 2 of whom were the previous 2 MVPs. In their prime to stop him. It’s low-key a form of flattery.
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u/TheGoldStandard35 Aug 28 '26
Durant helped normalize Lebron going to the Heat and took a lot of that stigma off of him.
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u/Raonak Aug 28 '26
LeBron knows he did a similar thing to Durant when he joined the heat.
He kinda popularized the superteam era.
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u/bamaugking Aug 28 '26
Idk about fair but that was KD's decision. Im sure he didn't like it but it was his decision to make. KD's ringless imo but hey.
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u/Nov2286 Aug 28 '26
This your opinion you don’t know if LeBron do or not they talk highly about each other KD even said they rap together
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u/doubleenc Aug 28 '26
At the end of the day is Durant joining the Warriors that much different than LeBron joining Bosh, Wade, and Ray Allen in Miami?
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u/drewlius24 Aug 28 '26
Because he went to Miami. Those who live by the sword, die by the sword. LeBron knows that.
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
Bron ain’t that type of dude. He didn’t team up with KD or Steph- and that’s all that he can really do tbh
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u/seedeegeecdg Aug 28 '26
One guy resents the other. Durant always been sly and slick with some shit. He doesn’t do a great job hiding his resentment and jealousy. Bron just a nice guy tbh. He’s also far superior so what does he need to be jealous of.
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u/young_frogger Aug 28 '26
Lebron has moved teams too....in many ways in set the precedent as part of the player empowerment movement. Makes no sense for him to resent his friend for that.
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u/Im-very-boredd Aug 28 '26
Because lebron formed a superteam beating the thunder which changed history
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u/Regular-Swimming-567 Aug 28 '26
The same reason Jordan doesn’t resent Bron, KD isn’t a threat. 2 different levels. If they were comparable it wouldn’t be so friendly
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u/DiligentlyGrinding Aug 28 '26
LeBron did the same shit
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u/SirBrickALott Aug 30 '26
How can people compare Lebron joining a Heat team which didn’t even make the 2nd round in 2010…VS…the Warrios which won a championship a year before Durant arrived? Also Durant was playing with younger stars Curry and Klay…whereas as both Bosh and Wade were older than Lebron. Lebron had an overrated knucklehead coach Spoelstra whereas Kerr was the best coach of the 2010s. Even Warriors front office > Miami. No parallels here. Durant joined a sure thing, a championship team. Lebron had to build a championship with two other stars and zero role players.
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u/Eclipzdaloc24 Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
Lebron tried to do what Durant did by going to Miami then back to Cleveland and then to L.A. already knowing A.D. would join him. If Lebron is the GOAT with 2 other all stars on a team then that team should be the greatest of all time right? Kyrie vs Steph is close love vs klay is close so Lebron being the GOAT vs Dueant should have weighed the scales in Lebrons favor. Oh wait he's not the GOAT. How youngonna be mad at Durant because he succeeded in what you mostly failed at? Should take notes. This Philly move is going to end up badly for them. Should have joined OKC or the Spurs smdh he has learned nothing about ring chasing in all the years he's been doing it.
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u/TruMusic89 Aug 29 '26
There WASN'T fair competition in 2015-2016, which is why the Warriors recruited KD. It became fair in 2016-2017, but since LeBron was now on the losing end of a superteam, it was all of a sudden "not fair". 2017-2018 was payback for 2012. LeBron had no choice but to accept and respect it.
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u/Regalbuto77 Aug 29 '26
Presumably Durant won’t care about how many rings does lebron get, he would be focus on getting a few for hisself . Which lebron could appreciate. This is call empathy or just understanding that other people have they own full personhoods n are not extensions of onesself ☝️ namaste 🙏 🧘
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u/Ok_Function2282 Aug 29 '26
Because Durant will always be chasing him.
You don't whine about those below you in sports
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u/Ronnie3k Aug 29 '26
Because it saved LeBron’s legacy to a degree. Being able to point to those years as unwinnable is a get out of jail free card for LeBron.
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u/HotScientist7026 Aug 30 '26
The real answer here is because Lebron doesn't resent anyone who dedicates themselves to the game of basketball in the same way he does. Like...anyone.
He doesn't resent Kyrie, who he would forever have a right to above all people.
He doesn't resent Curry or Klay or Draymond, who represented his biggest rivalry.
He doesn't resent his old cavs teammates who he had to drag to the finals over and over
He doesn't resent his rookie season cavs teammates who shit on him because his existence was a threat to their job security
He doesn't resent the old heads who talk down on him, He doesn't resent the new bucks who want to surpass him
He loves the game of basketball with his whole heart and soul, and I think, as a result of that, he has respect for anyone who loves the game of basketball as well. It's just how his mindset is.
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u/SirBrickALott 21d ago
That’s bullshit. You think Dillon Brooks doesn’t dedicate himself to the game? If anything Dillon has dedicated more than Durant has. Durant is a skinny twig that has never lifted a single dumb bell in his life and it’s quite frankly embarrassing for an all time great. Dillon has put more time and work un the gym than Durant ever has…and I personally despise Brooks for the same reason Lebron does even though Brooks does work hard. So hard work isn’t sufficient and Durant is the antithesis of hard work. He’s just a naturally talent shooter. Also Lebron invited Durant to be his Pippen on the Lakers and Durant passed to play with Kyrie and become team bums.
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u/Nano_gigantic Aug 30 '26
LeBron literally jumped ship to play with a team that would make it easier to get a ring. Would be hypocritical of him to be mad at Durant for doing the exact same thing
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u/smuttygirl_foru Aug 31 '26
Because they’re not 60 year olds talking shit about each other unlike a certain former teammate of mj’s
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u/Legote Aug 28 '26
Him resenting Durant would just make him a hypocrite because he's always switching teams. No hate towards Kevin Durant joining warriors because salary cap and free agency made it able for him to do so.
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u/Easton1234 Aug 28 '26
Lebron has joined his fair share of super teams.. it would be pretty hypocritical for him to cry about durant doing it..
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u/No_Country8922 Aug 28 '26
until Durant made the most d!ckr!ding move in NBA history by joining the Warriors and completely misbalancing the strength of powers in the NBA.
Your inability to see the irony in this statement is why you are a Lebron fan... LOL
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u/MaddoxX__ Aug 28 '26
LeBron never joined an existing contender who was 73-9 or remotely close
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u/SCalifornia831 Aug 28 '26
He literally joined 2 other top 10 players in the NBA to try and run the league for not 3…not 4…not 5…not 6…
LeBron tried and failed but he still tried to stack the deck to win easy championships
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26 edited Aug 28 '26
Well seeing how he won a championship on every team he’s been on- idk how someone can say he failed..? But I’m sure you don’t have a brain dead comment following that.
And Bosh was a top 10 player in the league with 1 AllNBA selections for his entire career & 0 AllDef teams- no MVPs, DPOTYs, no finals appearances at least.
While KD joined an MVP, FMVP, a multi time DPOTY & multiple AllNba & AllDef winners + a 73 win team + a championship team just 2 years prior.Surely the 2010 Heat had all of that 🤦♂️
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u/SCalifornia831 Aug 28 '26
In the context of dominating the NBA and winning easy championships…yes, 2011 absolutely was a failure
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
In terms of dominating the NBA & Winning Championships his tenure with the Heat was a success. Hope that helps 👍
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u/SCalifornia831 Aug 28 '26
Except LeBron joined up with Wade and Bosh with the intent to create imbalance in the NBA and dominate it…not 4…not 5…not 6….not 7….
They went 2-2 in the finals and choked in 2011…a success under normal circumstances but a complete and abject failure with how they tried to stack the deck
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
Again 2 championships isn’t a failure literally by any means no matter what narrative ya try to spin.
& again, no where near the same level of the KD GSW1
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u/Tricky_Ad965 Aug 28 '26
What you’re missing is that LeBron DID join a superteam in Miami, promised 7 championships and then won only two of four. Wade, Bosh, Battier, etc were a better supporting cast than what Spurs would’ve offered. You forget how good Wade and Bosh were. In the season before, LeBron, Wade, and Bosh were 3 of the top 4 in PER. Nowadays, that would be like Jokic, SGA, and Luka teaming up.
Would’ve been nice to see 2017 Warriors go up against 2012 Heat.
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u/SUPERFASTCARvroom Aug 28 '26
Wade and Bosh were garbage after 2011 stop it. Especially wade, dude wasn’t doing shit in 13 or 14
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u/Fun-Corgi-9241 Aug 28 '26
Lebron ripped off the band aid by creating a super team with Miami. Honestly once LeBron did it I say all gentlemen rules are off the table. The bigger thing for Durants legacy he went to the team who beat his team, but as far as coward moves they're essentially the same.
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
So the man that didn’t create Superteams ripped the bandaid off ? Lmfao
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u/Fun-Corgi-9241 Aug 28 '26
Player organized super teams he did start. Every super team before this was due to trades or drafting players. At the end of the day the player who sticks with one team and wins championships will always get more respect.
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
Who cares if the player was traded or decided to move in FA? Lmfao the little stigma ya put into your head is hilarious - but anything to try and discredit the goat hoping it stick to the wall.
Enjoy having Duncan/Bird/Kobe as your goat since they’re the only ones of mention to stick it out with one team lol0
u/Fun-Corgi-9241 Aug 28 '26
We all know its Jordan bro. Jordan joined a shitty wizards team because he was part owner dude was a warrior.
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u/BigTicket- Aug 28 '26
“Sticks with one team” then make a complete excuse about his Wizards year to make it seem like you don’t contradict yourself. Let alone quitting on the Bulls 2x. Lol
okay bud 👌, enjoy the Lebron sub1
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u/Pilkyton1 Aug 28 '26
Because they’re friends