Kevin Durant has been one of LeBron James' biggest rivals for his entire career. While the two men were in different conferences every season until now, they always seemed to match up. Durant was an MVP and LeBron was an MVP. The Oklahoma City Thunder played the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals -- which LeBron won. When Durant went to the Golden State Warriors, it was even bigger.

The Golden State Warriors played the Cleveland Cavaliers four straight seasons and Durant was there for two of them -- winning both times and taking the NBA Finals MVP as well while beating LeBron. Durant has also said that he strives to be the best player in the NBA, something that LeBron currently holds the title of. However, Durant knows what he is up against.

Durant compliments LeBron

When asked about LeBron James on the No Chill Podcast, Kevin Durant said that LeBron James is a true star. He even took it one step further and said that LeBron has been a star since he was nine years old. This is basically true.

When LeBron was a child playing basketball, everyone knew he was going to be a major star. He came out of high school and into the NBA and has never once looked back.

Kevin Durant was also a star, but he went to college to prove himself at the University of Texas. He joined the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA and then became one of the best players in the entire league. Over his career, Kevin Durant has become a major star but LeBron has been a star since he was a child.

Kevin Durant also ripped LeBron James

While Kevin Durant seems complimentary about LeBron James and his level of stardom, he has also said some negative things about him and these are things that will likely ensure that Kevin Durant never plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In a prior interview, Durant said that it is a "toxic" environment playing with LeBron James.

Durant said that players won't want to play with LeBron because of the hype and attention it brings along with it. He said that there are a lot of huge name players that wouldn't want to play with LeBron James due to those issues that he deems toxic.

That immediately eliminates Kevin Durant from the possibility of ever playing with the Los Angeles Lakers. In a recent interview, Lakers' owner Jeanie Buss said that if there is any player that doesn't want to play with LeBron, the Lakers want nothing to do with them -- no matter who they are. Her exact words were, "thank u, next" to any free agent who doesn't want to play with James.