LeBron James and Steph Curry hail from the same place, Akron, Ohio. But these two modern-day greats are arch-rivals. They have played back-to-back four NBA finals from 2015 to 2018. LeBron James led the Cavaliers to win the 2016 championship. But the other three times, Steph Curry led the Warriors to beat the Cavaliers.
However, since James joined the Lakers, the chances for these two greats to meet at the NBA finals have gone away. They are now all set to meet in the playoffs for the next series game. The James-Curry rivalry got another chance to face off after five years in the postseason. Despite the rivalry, the two greats from Akron have immense respect for each other.
LeBron James Has Utmost Respect For Steph Curry
In a recent interview, LeBron James acknowledged his respect for Steph Curry. As he mentioned, “I’ve nothing but respect for Steph.” King James added that whatever Curry has been able to achieve is nothing short of inspirational. LeBron James feels when anybody works hard to reach their goal, chances are they will get to their destination. Curry is somebody who gives his best in every game. That’s what LeBron likes about his fellow Akron rival. Meanwhile, in the show, Skip and Shannon: Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe compared the James-Curry rivalry to the Chamberlain-Russell rivalry. Sharpe says it is bigger than Bird-Magic as they only met twice in 84 and 85. Bill Russell always had the upper hand over Wilt Chamberlain. Russell and Chamberlain met 49 times. Russell won 29 times out of the 49 meetings. Bill Russell beat Chamberlain in two NBA finals as well.
It was the first ever real NBA rivalry. Both players were at their peak and went toe to toe. But the modern-day rivalry might be bigger than all in the past. They have a long history in NBA and have both won four championships each. Similarly, Curry won four with the same team. And LeBron James won two with Miami Heat and one each with Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. In their long and illustrious career, both Curry and James have accomplished so much. Other than being the all-time leading scorer LeBron James has innumerable records in his NBA storeroom. Steph Curry played an instrumental role in revolutionizing three-pointers shootings. These two wizards of the game have the greatest rivalry in modern times.
Curry Or James – Who’s Greater?
Steph Curry is 35; on the other hand, LeBron James is 38. At this stage, the two greats are meeting again at playoffs, semis this time. Amid this clash, the Warriors star, Draymond Green, suggests this face-off proves the dominance of the two greats. Green mentioned, “It is going to be an epic battle.”
At 38, LeBron James is still displaying an all-round show with points scored, rebounds, steals, blocks, and assists. On the other hand, Steph Curry is an offensive master. There is no defense he can’t break. He proved it as he scored 50 points in Game 7 against the Kings. Now he’ll face King James in round 2. James’ average in the current season is 22.1 points, whereas Curry’s average is 33.1 points.
