Stephen Curry has been a great rival turned friend of LeBron James over the years. Their rivalry was legendary as it dominated the league in the last decade. The two biggest players of the modern generation met in four consecutive NBA Finals. But at the end of the day, it is a team game and the best team won every time they met in the Finals. During the period between 2015 and 2018, the Steph-led Golden State Warriors and the LBJ-led Cleveland Cavaliers faced off against each other in back-to-back Finals. The Dubs won thrice on those four occasions. But the one time the Cavs did win was an epic moment for the franchise as in 2016, LeBron James helped his team end the “Cleveland Curse.”
However, a few years later, the all-time leading scorer moved to the Los Angeles Lakers. But Stephen Curry has never played for any team in the NBA other than the Dubs. Both Steph and LBJ have won four NBA Championships each. But James has played for three different teams so far in his NBA career. Finally, the time came for Steph and James to be teammates. However, it is not for an NBA team but for Team USA in the Paris Olympics.
Kevin Durant On The Change In James-Curry Rivalry
Recently, in an interview with The Athletic’s Joe Vardon, Kevin Durant mentioned that there was a time when Steph realized that he is not young anymore. On the other hand, that was not the “Bron” he was looking up to anymore. As a result, the star of the Phoneix Suns says, “They became fierce competitors.” Moreover, the former teammate of Curry says that with time the respect level went up even higher between Bron and Steph. Adding to that, the two-time Bill Russell Finals MVP award winner mentioned that at present, Curry and James are better friends than the period between 2015 and 2018. Durant says that was the phase when they were rivals and competing against each other all the time.
Moreover, the former Dubs teammate noted that Stephen Curry and LeBron James have a lot of respect for each other. These three guys, including Kevin Durant, have been the face of the league in the last decade. KD saw the rivalry between James and Curry from close quarters. Now, these three guys are getting ready to win the next Olympics Gold medal. Moreover, the current Team USA going to Paris looks like a modern-day Dream Team.
Stephen Curry Says There Has Always Been A “Healthy Resentment” For LeBron James
Recently, Stephen Curry told The Athletic that he holds a “Healthy Resentment” towards the all-time leading scorer. He explained that the resentment is for someone who’s standing in your way. Nevertheless, he said that there has always been the utmost respect for the kind of person and player James is. Since the all-time leading scorer is so good, Curry has always felt the challenge to try to beat him.
And most importantly, “Try to solve that problem every year.” Sometimes this kind of “Healthy hate” is good for a rivalry so that these players can go out there and give their all on the court. That’s where the tough competitiveness comes from for these NBA greats.
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