NBA aces Stephen Curry and LeBron James have been arch-rivals for a long time. They have a lot of respect for each other outside the court. But on the court, they are the most competitive. Their rivalry dates back to the King’s second stint with his hometown franchise. LeBron James led the Cleveland Cavaliers to their maiden NBA Championship in 2016. However, it was the period when Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to become an NBA modern-day dynasty.
After the 2021-22 season, the stats said, LeBron James won four NBA titles, and Stephen Curry also won four championships. However, unlike LeBron James, Steph Curry is not a four-time MVP. Rather, he won it twice. But nobody can deny the impact of Stephen Curry on the game of basketball. He revolutionized the three-point shooting to another level. Recently, a poll showed that Steph has more viewership rating than LeBron James.
Stephen Curry Features In More Viewed Games Than LeBron James In 8 Years
Albeit, LeBron James remains one of the most marketable athletes of all time. Moreover, he has 157 million Instagram followers as well as 52.7 Twitter followers. Not many brands can dream to afford LeBron James in their marketing endeavors. On the other hand, Stephen Curry has 100 million fewer followers than King James. However, ‘The Boardroom’ gave some stats out suggesting that Curry has been part of some of the most-watched games in the last decade. Hence, Steph Curry attracts an incredible viewership. Stephen Curry has been part of the 27 most-viewed games in the last eight years.
FACE OF THE LEAGUE?: Since 2015, 27 NBA games have drawn 14+ Million viewers… Stephen Curry has played in all of them 😳
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) August 9, 2023
Everyone wants to see the greatest shooter of all-time in action! 🐐
Via. @boardroom pic.twitter.com/ois6z18pCL
However, the most anticipated event of the last season was when LeBron James broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s all-time scoring record. But it later turned out that the game between Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers on February 7, 2023, only garnered 3.7 million viewers. It was only the ninth most-watched game of the 2022-23 season. The 27 most-watched games have had over 14 million viewers in the last eight years. Stephen Curry features in all of them. Hence, the social media followers are not helping LeBron’s viewership.
Epic Rivalry Between Warriors And Cavaliers
Under the head coach Steve Kerr, Curry led the Warriors to win three titles between 2015 and 2018. Later in the 2021-22 season, the Golden State Warriors won the title again. It was their fourth championship success in eight years. But in the period from 2015 to 2018, the Warriors and the Cavaliers, under the leadership of LeBron James, met four consecutive times in the NBA Finals. Only in 2016 did James get to beat Curry’s team in the NBA Finals.
However, it was a memorable victory for the Cavaliers fans and an epic homecoming for LeBron James. After leaving the Cavaliers, LeBron James signed with Miami Heat in 2010. He joined the Heat to end his title drought. Later, with Miami Heat, King James won back-to-back NBA titles from 2011 to 2013. Then for his second stint with the Cavaliers, he returned home in 2014. Hence, the 2016 championship was epic for James as he ended Cleveland’s title curse.