The debate over who’s better, Stephen Curry or LeBron James, has been going on for decades. Generally, rivalries in sports attract more fans and audiences. In the last decade, the rivalry between LBJ and Steph really dominated the league. They have been the face of the NBA for such a long time. Like the Bird-Magic story, like the Russell-Chamberlain story, it has been the Curry-James epic rivalry. A coincidental fact is that both these superstars were born in exactly the same hospital in Akron, Ohio. Who knew they would go on to become the biggest superstars in the NBA? Some may have guessed it for sure, looking at them at the high school level.
Both Curry and James have been popular names at the high school level. But the rivalry between Steph and Bron started in 2015. That was when LBJ led the Cleveland Cavaliers to the NBA Finals, where they met the Golden State Warriors. These two teams met in back-to-back NBA Finals from 2015 to 2018. Steph and the Dubs won three times of those four finals. But LBJ and the Cavs managed to ruin the Dub’s campaign in 2016 that could have been the best team ever. Nevertheless, a former NBA player believes Stephen Curry has not been a “Generational talent” like LeBron James has been.
Gilbert Arenas Sparks Debate Over LeBron James And Stephen Curry
The former Washington Wizards star does not see Stephen Curry as a “Generational talent” as LeBron James or Victor Wembanyama. Both James and Wemby have been the overall No. 1 pick in their respective times in the NBA draft. Steph was not a No. 1 pick. Moreover, Gilbert Arenas believes there are certain “Physical traits” that LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama possess that make them generational talents. However, the former Wizards star does not see those traits in Stephen Curry. Recently, on his podcast, Gilbert Arenas talked about certain players with those traits that help them get that tag of a generational player. He said, “Curry is not a generational talent. Wemby is because you can’t mimic him.”
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Arenas said it is not possible to mimic Magic Johnson, a legendary 6’9 guard “With a vision.” Adding to that list, Arenas said Shaquille O’Neal had a huge body that nobody could mimic. Finally, the former Wizards star said, “You can’t mimic f***ing LeBron James.” Stephen Curry is a 6’2 point guard. According to the description of Arenas, Steph is indeed short of being eligible for that tag. Moreover, the former Wizards star said that not just Stephen Curry but also the Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is a great player. However, both Curry and Jokic are out of the list of generational talents, as per Gilbert Arenas.
Loopholes Of Arenas’ Argument Regarding Generational Talents
LeBron James has been a nominal forward. Otherwise, when he plays, he generally takes the role of the point guard. Even Gilbert Arenas once said that LBJ is Magic Johnson 2.0. Moreover, Arenas said the all-time leading scorer has Michael Jordan-like jumping abilities. He made a case for calling James the best point guard of all time. But one thing Stephen Curry has proved over the course of time is that to be an impactful PG, something more than just physical traits is needed.
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There is no one better than Curry when it comes to shooting. If Arenas had considered important points like shooting, consistency, as well as impact on the game of basketball, then it would not have been possible to not name the greatest shooter in the NBA on the list of generational talents.
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