Kevin Durant marks 1766 day gap since last LeBron James matchup with endearing message ahead of Lakers' home opener

Kevin Durant and LeBron James will face off against one another on Thursday night for the first time in 1,766 days or nearly five years. Thursday's doubleheader on TNT will see James and the LA Lakers trying to capture their first win of the season against Durant and the Phoenix Suns. In addition to both teams being Western Conference favorites, the personal matchup has fans excited.

Over the past 1,766 days, both the named teams have clashed 13 times. However, the two haven't matched up for several reasons. One of them was James missed time due to a groin strain that ailed him for quite some time during the 2018-19 season.

During the 2019-20 season, Durant missed time after tearing his Achilles tendon, resulting in the pair missing one another. On Thursday night, however, the two men will finally share the court in a regular season game with all the makings of a classic.

A recent video by the official NBA account showed Durant speaking about tonight's matchup while sporting a Phoenix Mercury hoodie. Durant is excited about the matchup as a fan and a player.

"It's been a long time. It's been a long time. I'm looking forward to hooping against arguably the best ever. It's always a fun challenge, and I can't wait to see him," said Durant to @NBA.

Looking at the head-to-head battle between LeBron James and Kevin Durant

James and Durant have gone head-to-head 21 times in the regular season, with James leading 15-6.

James and Durant haven't played in the last 1,766 days, but the last time they played, James and the LA Lakers picked up a win over Durant and the Warriors. The win snapped a three-game skid where Durant and the Warriors won three straight against LeBron's Cavaliers in the regular season.

In the time that passed since they last played, both have missed out on playing one another 13 times. To break it down, the pair missed one another on three occasions in the 2018-19 season and twice during the 2019-20 season.

They then missed out on one another twice in the 2020-21 season and twice in the 2021-22 season before missing four potential games last year. For many years now, the matchup has avoided fans. However, Thursday night's showdown will see the two legends collide again.