Two of the biggest names in the NBA, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, are set to go head-to-head on Christmas Day as the Los Angeles Lakers will be hosting the Brooklyn Nets.

Ahead of the game, James was asked about Durant’s Achilles injury, which kept the Nets superstar from playing basketball for one year, and his recovery.

“I think there was never any doubt from myself or anybody in this league, maybe KD maybe early on because it’s just that injury,” the four-time NBA champion said. “But I think once he got going and once he started seeing the improvement, I don’t think it was any doubt that he would come back in full strength.

“I heard there was only like really one group of people that had any doubt on him coming back full strength, I’m not going to name them, I’ll let you guys do that research.

“But other than that, no, there was zero doubt that I knew he would come back at full strength. He’s not a guy who carries a bunch of muscle and a bunch of weight on his body, very slender and slim. So it wasn’t much pounding going on in that particular area that he had to worry about.

“And he doesn’t look like someone that sits around and doesn’t take care of what he needs to take care of. It was never a question about KD coming back from any injury. That’s just the player and the person that he is.”

This season, Durant is averaging 29.7 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game for Brooklyn. His team is atop the Eastern Conference with 21 wins and 9 losses.