It was a night of mixed emotions for Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant.
On the one hand, the 13-time NBA All-Star reminded everyone why he’s one of the greatest shooters of all time in a vintage 39-point display.
On the other hand, he risked provoking the ire of his mother, Wanda, by leapfrogging her long-time crush, Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, in the all-time list for regular season points with the 35-year-old now on 26,949.
Durant scored a game-high 39 points in a 100-95 defeat to the LA Lakers as KD faced-off against LeBron James for the first time since 2018.
Reflecting on the milestone after the game, the self-styled ‘Easy Money Sniper’ revealed why surpassing Olajuwon was extra special for the Durant clan.
“My mom had a crush on Olajuwon when I was a kid,” said sheepish looking Duran as the gathered media chuckled.
He added: “That’s all I used to hear, it wasn’t Michael Jordan, it was all Olajuwon in my house.
“He was somebody she told me to study as a kid. I admire his journey as a man and as a basketball player.
“It’s amazing to be up amongst the greats of the game.”
LeBron’s Lakers may have taken the win but Durant came out on top in the points scoring stakes in the battle of the future hall of famers.
This was their first duel since December 2018 in Durant’s final season as a Golden State Warrior and LeBron’s first as a Laker.
Mrs Durant was courtside to watch her son overtake Olajuwon before grabbing a quick post-game chat with James.
Durant, 35, needs 3,108 more points to become only the eighth member of the hallowed 30,000-point club. In the meantime, though, it’s Elvin Hayes in his sights.
James became the NBA’s all-time leading points scorer in February, breaking the record that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had held for four decades.
LeBron James defends Anthony Davis following strong criticism
Anthony Davis received some strong criticism from NBA fans and media following his disappointing performance in the Los Angeles Lakers opening night loss to the Denver Nuggets. Davis bounced back with a big night against the Suns, registering 30.0 points and 12.0 rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time.
Speaking to the media during an on-court interview, LeBron James responded bluntly to Davis’ critics. LeBron was clearly annoyed at some of the negativity being thrown toward his teammate despite being just two games into the new season.
“We don’t give a s*** babout criticism about AD,” James said. “We don’t care, nothing bothers us. AD doesn’t care. I don’t if guys have figured it out, AD does not care. He’s not on social media, so he doesn’t see none of the crap. He rarely talks, much less to us.
“We don’t give a s*** about it. He definitely doesn’t. He’s going to do his job. We’re happy to have AD.”
Both LeBron James and Davis have already begun the season in good shape. The pair worked well as a star tandem against the Phoenix Suns and will be expected to continue their high-level performances as we navigate the long and arduous NBA season.