Kevin Durant and LeBron James have forged a unique friendship over the years. They’re fierce competitors on the court who have met twice in the NBA Finals, with LeBron and the Heat getting the best of OKC in 2012, and Durant’s Warriors besting the Cavs in a five-game series last spring.
On Sunday, they’ll team up for the NBA All-Star game in Los Angeles, and ahead of the league’s annual midseason festivities, the two mega stars got together for an interview on Uninterrupted that spanned some pretty heady topics such as marriage and fatherhood.
LeBron was candid about how his experience as a child growing up with an absentee father has influenced the way he approaches his family responsibilities.
LeBron telling KD how he became a good father…REAL.
(via @uninterrupted) pic.twitter.com/Bdf2jV2TMb
— Thomas Duffy (@TJDhoops) February 15, 2018
“What really helped me out becoming a parent is what I went through as a kid,” LeBron said. “Not having a dad, I had the learn the sh*t on my own. Not only did I aspire to be a basketball player, and/or a football player, professionally get my mom out of that situation, I wanted to have kids early to prove to my father that the way you did it was the absolute wrong way to do it…I wanted to break the mold and be there to give him all the life skills…All you can do and hope at the end of the road is hope you’ve given your kids enough life lessons to where, when it’s time for them to live their life, that they can flourish on their own.”
Though Durant prefaced his question by saying he’s not yet at the point in his life where he’s considering marriage or children, it’s clear he respects LeBron enough to listen to his life experiences and the wisdom that has grown out of that.
Durant and Team LeBron will face off against Team Steph and the rest of his Warriors’ teammates when the 2018 All-Star Game tips off from Staples Center Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on TNT.
