Longevity is a rare trait in the world of sports. Often, injuries make players declare retirement. And sometimes players decide to hang up their boots early. But then stars like LeBron James are different. He could’ve gone the Michael Jordan way: take breaks in the 23-year-long career. However, he chose to stay. And that is a topic of conversation for Kevin Durant, who had a word about it with The Ringer.

“It’s true. MJ took time off. It’s times where he was like, ‘I’m sick of the game. I want to take time off and regroup and come back into the game.’ And that’s what he did. Bron, he played straight through,” KD said. “I’m sure it was times when he was sick of the game and didn’t want to play. Sick of all the b.s. that come with the game. It was a different time.”

Durant added, “He probably had more of a shield around him than MJ had at the time. It’s different eras, but guys choose their paths how they want to choose them.” Well, simply put, Kevin Durant points out that Michael Jordan stepped away from the game by choice to deal with burnout, while LeBron James continued pushing through similar pressures without ever fully retiring.

Now, during his appearance on the Mind the Game podcast last July, Durant opened up about how challenging it is to sustain excellence as an elite scorer while also achieving long-term longevity. “You got to recommit and sign that contract with yourself. … Some people say, ‘I want to go play baseball. Yeah, and then I wanna come back.’ Or some people say ‘I’m gonna go 22 straight,'” KD said back then.

Well, his opinion did cause considerable ripples in the league. And Durant faced backlash for the same. However, his view on this matter hasn’t changed as he sticks with the belief that longevity is a big deal and players often have to agree with themselves before signing a new contract or an extension with teams.

In 1993, Michael Jordan chose to take a break from the NBA and played professional baseball. However, he returned in 18 months to clinch the next three-peat with the Chicago Bulls. Then, in 1999, he bade his farewell to the league only to come back in 2001 with the Washington Wizards, for the last run. Then again, Kevin Durant too faced a similar fate to MJ, not by choice but due to injuries and lost time away from basketball, unlike LeBron, who rarely spent months away due to the same.

Kevin Durant’s lost years in the Michael Jordan-LeBron James debate

Like Michael Jordan, Kevin Durant faced two career pauses, yet his came without choice. First, a foot injury cut his 2014-15 season to 27 games after his MVP run. Then, with an Achilles tear in the 2019 Finals, he dropped efficient 30-point nights, which raises endless what-ifs around his lost prime.

“You give me those 200 more games, you never know,” Durant said. “But the only reason I’m even close to MJ is because he retired twice.”

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Jordan featured in 15 seasons in his 19-year career, yet Kevin Durant views that journey differently. Usually composed, Durant admires the fine details that separate legends from icons. While many stop at 32,292 points, he sees a deeper story, where the total signals an ending but hardly captures the full artistic reach.

Meanwhile, Durant argues Michael Jordan would share the 40,000 club if circumstances shifted. A shortened second season, exits after the 1991 to 1993 and 1996 to 1998 runs, and the later Wizards stint all matter. Therefore, he believes Jordan’s scoring ceiling stretches far beyond the numbers.

“He could’ve played past 40, too,” KD said of MJ. “I would say MJ took off four to five years combined. You give him 300 more games of 30 points a night. That’s not an exaggeration. That’s what he averaged—30!”

He added, “I don’t want to take that away from him when I pass him. I think that’s key for any historian to know that about MJ. It’s cool to still be in that same realm as him, but he’s more than a 32,000-point scorer to me.”

Greatness bends time, and this debate proves it. While LeBron James powers forward, Michael Jordan and Kevin Durant remind us that every path carries its own weight. Then again, choices, breaks, and battles shape legacies differently. So, the numbers whisper one story, yet the journeys roar another, leaving this rivalry forever unfinished.