Kevin Durant And LeBron James: A Burgeoning Bromance?

Sure, sportswriters like us will paint them as rivals, hardnosed competitors who are praying for the other's demise. But a look back at some history shows how close the two NBA finals stars have become.

Ballislife.com / Via youtube.com

Where it began

From all that we can tell, the two first bonded in August of 2011 in what was supposed to be a meaningless charity exhibition. While Carmelo Anthony was among the other pros on the court, the two battled it out at Baltimore's Morgan State University. Durant put up 59 points while James scored 36 (yes, playing defense is optional in charity games).

Working Out Together

With no teams to practice with during the lockout, Durant and James, still smarting from playoff losses to the Dallas Mavericks (the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and the Heat in the finals) decided to work out together in what was later dubbed "Hell Week". “He was a little upset about the series in Dallas, where they got eliminated by Dallas,” James told the New York Times this week, “and I was as well. So we pushed each other each and every day.”

Playing Flag Football

Then of course, there was the flag football game in Akron, Ohio after weeks of trash talking on Twitter. James (who to be fair, was an excellent high school football player) won that battle.

Damn I'm so mad we lost to @KingJames team in flag football, we fought back hard but couldn't get the win! Had so much fun tho— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) December 1, 2011

They Wear Each Other's Shoes

Via Facebook.com

Durant vouched for James' kicks on Facebook in February.

Twitter Shout-outs

There's also the Twitter respect. James has often Tweeted out to Durant over the past few months, lauding his playing abilities to his followers.

RT @mhartg1: @KingJames hardest player to defend??(KD, Kobe, D.Rose)— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 1, 2012

He also congratulated him on his MVP award.

Congrats to Orlando on putting together a great All-Star weekend! Had a blast in tonight's game! S/O @KDTrey5 for getting MVP. Back to work!— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 27, 2012

James Congratulates Durant On Facebook

Via facebook.com

Some people spout challenges, say they're not worried about their opponents or lob small digs at their opponents. James congratulated his biggest rival in the series in a Facebook post.

More Bromance On The Way?