In what may be one of the most entertaining social media exchanges of the NBA season, Kevin Durant and LeBron James engaged in a lively Twitter thread that ended in a surprising twist.

It all started when a fan expressed discontent over a photo of KD and James talking and laughing together during a game on Friday.

This prompted Durant to respond to the fan with, “At some point, all non-athletes will realize that friends compete harder against one another.”

Durant backed up this statement with his performance against the Lakers, where the photo was taken.

In this game, both KD and James scored over 30 points.

Then, things took an interesting turn as LeBron James, who is good friends with KD, replied with a post of Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley talking to each other mid-game.

While LeBron may not have had any wrong intentions with the post, fans were quick to point out the subtle shade he was throwing at KD.

Inferred from the photo was LeBron comparing himself to Michael Jorda, which would leave KD to be Charles Barkley.

The only hiccup in this comparison is that Kevin Durant is undeniably a superior player to Charles Barkley by a significant margin.

While Barkley, an 11-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, is a basketball legend, the argument is clear that Durant surpasses him in skill and achievements.

The two players are so incomparable that delving into statistics seems unnecessary.

Ultimately, the true intentions behind LeBron James’ post—whether a subtle assertion of dominance over KD or just a playful moment on social media—likely reside only in LeBron’s own understanding.