LeBron James and Stephen Curry have become icons of the NBA. The two were fierce rivals throughout their prime, most notably from 2015-2018, when Curry and James repeatedly met in the NBA Finals.
James and Curry have never been shy about their admiration for each other. When Curry emerged as a rising star at Davidson College, James was in the stands watching. Despite being rivals for more than a decade in the NBA, they have always praised each other and expressed their desire to one day be teammates.
After the NBA All-Star Games, we finally get to see James and Curry play together in a big tournament, the 2024 Paris Olympics. Join Sporting News to learn about the journey from rivals to teammates of two top NBA stars.
The Relationship Between LeBron James and Stephen Curry
LeBron James Watches Stephen Curry’s Davidson Live Twice
It all started when Curry took the world by storm at March Madness in 2008. The “Baby-Faced Assassin” captured the hearts of Americans by scoring 40 points against Gonzaga and 30 points against Georgetown in two surprising wins to open the tournament.
Davidson played in Detroit in the Sweet 16. At the same time, James’ Cleveland Cavaliers visited the Detroit Pistons. And so the 23-year-old LeBron got his first taste of his future opponent.
The following December, James and Curry met again on the court, this time in Charlotte. Curry’s Davidson played NC State in Charlotte, while James’ Cavaliers also played the Hornets in the NBA. In that game, Curry once again exploded with 44 points and led Davidson to victory.
In the 2009 Draft, Curry was selected 7th overall by the Golden State Warriors and officially entered the NBA. However, the two only really reached their peak and created the most exciting competition in NBA history since 2015, when the Cavaliers and Warriors met in 4 consecutive NBA Finals.
4 consecutive NBA Finals against each other
In the four meetings, Curry and the “Golden Gate Warriors” have won three times, the other time it was James and the Cavaliers. The superstars have always respected each other, but Curry revealed that he believes there is a “healthy resentment” between him and James.
“It’s like a healthy resentment towards someone who’s standing in your way,” Curry told The Athletic. “But through it all, you have to have the utmost respect for him as a player and as a person. We all know how good James is, and to set him a challenge and get it done every year is always great.”
James agrees with Curry, saying the two’s dislike for each other is just a media hoax. “No basketball game lasts forever,” James told The Athletic. “You don’t want to waste the opportunity to be in a relationship with someone just because of basketball. A lot of you grew up in the Bird-Magic era and they didn’t like each other, but Isiah [Thomas] and Magic hugged and kissed on the court because it was just mutual respect.”
“They say Michael [Jordan] doesn’t talk to any of his opponents, but I’m smart enough to know that he and Charles [Barkley] talked a lot in the 1993 NBA Finals and played golf together. So I don’t want to lose those moments [with Curry],” James concluded.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry finally team up on the US Olympic team
Back in 2022, on an episode of “The Shop,” James mentioned that Curry was the player he most wanted to play with.
“Steph Curry is definitely the guy I want to play with the most. … I like everything about him. You have to keep an eye on Curry. … you have to be on him from the moment he wakes up and gets out of bed,” James joked.
Curry also had similar praise after playing alongside James at Team USA’s training camp at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Having LeBron as a teammate is incredible, the way he plays is incredible. Knowing the kind of person he is, seeing James practice and prepare every day. I’ve never had that perspective of him,”
