MACAO — Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in the 2026 NBA China Games.
Irving and Durant were teammates on the Brooklyn Nets. The All-Stars remain close friends despite not being teammates anymore.
The NBA’s X account recently asked Durant what skill he would add from anyone in the league, and the small forward went with Irving’s dribbling skills.
Irving, who will play this season after missing all of last season recovering from his left ACL tear, appreciated Durant’s kind sentiment.
“Shout out to my brother KD, man,” Irving said. “All respect. It’s mutual. When I hear him, you know, kind of name-drop me like that as a compliment of something that he would steal from my game or something he appreciates me for, it’s a great deal and nod to him.
“Love you, brother. You know, I wish I could steal a few things from you as well, but at the same time, I love competing against you and showing you what I got, and I know the feeling’s mutual. So all respect.”
Taking A Look At Kyrie’s NBA Career And How Durant Was Involved
The Cleveland Cavaliers selected Irving with the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Irving won the 2011-12 Rookie of the Year award and made four All-Star teams with Cleveland.
Irving, LeBron James and Kevin Love led the Cavaliers to the 2016 championship against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. The 2015-16 Cleveland team is the only squad in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA Finals.
Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Warriors in the summer of 2016 as a free agent. Golden State, led by Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, defeated Cleveland in the 2017 NBA Finals in five games, with Durant winning Finals MVP.
Irving requested a trade from the Cavaliers and was traded to the Boston Celtics in the summer of 2017. The point guard no longer wanted to be in James’ shadow.
A Melbourne native, Irving spent two seasons with the Celtics. He made two All-Star teams but wasn’t able to lead Boston to the promised land.
In the summer of 2019, Irving and Durant signed with the Nets. Durant was sidelined for the entire 2019-20 season recovering from his Achilles tendon tear, and Brooklyn missed the playoffs.
The Nets acquired James Harden from the Rockets during the 2020-21 season, and many people thought Brooklyn would win the championship. However, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Nets in the second round of the 2021 playoffs in seven games. Irving missed Games 5-7 because of an ankle injury.
Harden played in 44 games with the Nets during the 2021-22 season before requesting a trade and getting traded to the Philadelphia 76ers. The Nets faced the Celtics in the first round of the 2022 playoffs and got swept.
At the 2023 NBA trade deadline, the Nets traded Irving to the Mavericks and Durant to the Phoenix Suns. Irving and Durant appeared in 74 games in the regular season and 13 games in the playoffs as teammates in Brooklyn. The Nets went 47-27 in the regular season and 6-7 in the postseason when Irving and Durant played.
Irving And KD Are NBA Legends
Irving and Durant are two of the greatest players in NBA history. Both guys will be first-ballot Hall of Famers one day.
Irving has made nine All-Star teams and three All-NBA teams. He has career averages of 23.7 points and 5.6 assists per game in the regular season and 23.0 points and 4.9 assists per game in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Durant has made 16 All-Star teams and 12 All-NBA teams. He’s a one-time MVP, two-time Finals MVP and four-time scoring champion. KD has career averages of 27.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the regular season and 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in the playoffs.
