Stephen Curry and LeBron James Give credit to Fadeaway World. The depth of LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s feud is revealed by an NBA insider. Nico Martinez Sep. 14, 2024 While they were officially rivals at one point, LeBron James and Stephen Curry behaved like friends during the summer Olympics in Paris. This week, NBA insider Sam Amick discussed their past and disclosed the occasion when LeBron’s entourage objected to Curry’s rise on “The TK Show.”
“Watching Curry and LeBron in particular enjoy each other as much as they did (at the Olympics) felt quite weird to Amick. “We were at all those Finals where it wasn’t like they were enemies, they were rivals,” Amick remarked. “The way the other player was talked about wasn’t always appreciated by their camps.”
“LeBron’s people did not love it when people started calling Steph the best player in the world, and there was a tension that was real. And then there were on-court moments, right, where LeBron, with his massive size, is kinda bodying Steph and making sure the world sees him as less than and kinda the small, younger guy. That dynamic was real. So, to go from that to these guys genuinely clicking and havin’ such a great time together was the kind of thing I never thought I’d see.”
Throughout the Olympic competition, LeBron James and Stephen Curry discovered a lot about one another. They were glad to be on the same team this summer. However, given how tense their many playoff matchups were, the moment seemed strange to those who were familiar with their past. The main problem for LeBron was that Curry’s brilliance eclipsed his own. Steph’s Warriors have perhaps presented LeBron with his toughest obstacle to date as he has worked relentlessly over the past 21 years to establish himself as one of the best players of all time.
When Stephen Curry stole the stage, LeBron James was still at the top of his game. Four years after leaving the Heat, where he won back-to-back championships, LeBron returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a move that altered the basketball landscape. LeBron was ready to lead the Cavaliers deep into the NBA playoffs with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love by his side, but Stephen Curry and the Warriors had other ideas.
Months after the Warriors were ousted in the first round by the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry’s reign started in 2014. Steph’s breakout season began that year, and he went on to win his first MVP award, averaging 23.8 points, 7.7 assists, 4.3 rebounds, and 44.3% shooting from three-point range per game. LeBron was forced to try his luck in the West as Steph established a dynasty with the Warriors, winning four titles in the process. He wouldn’t win another championship until 2020. Many people said that Steph was the best player in the NBA during that time, and while there might have been some merit to it, it infuriated LeBron and his allies.
The rivalry between LeBron and Curry eventually gave way to adoration, and today the two superstars are more like brothers than adversaries. Although it is unfortunate that we will probably never see them collaborate outside of the All-Star game, they have accomplished enough in one career to guarantee that their legacies will endure forever. Stephen Curry and LeBron James
