Steph Curry and LeBron James have one of the most storied rivalries in NBA history.
The Warriors' superstar faced off against LeBron in four straight NBA Finals from 2015-2018. Both have consistently been two of the best players in the league, combining for six of the previous 13 MVP awards.
Playing in his fourth season with the Los Angeles Lakers, James has continued his rivalry with Curry on the West Coast and will take center-stage again Tuesday night as the Warriors and Lakers square off to begin their respective 2021-22 campaigns.
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SIGN UP HERE Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who experienced a few of the NBA's greatest rivalries up close as a player, was asked where the Curry-LeBron rivalry ranks among the best.
“I think the LeBron-Steph rivalry will be one of those things that’s remembered down the road a lot more than it’s thought of right now," Kerr told reporters prior to Tuesday's game. "When you think of [Magic Johnson] and [Larry Bird] and the rivalries between great players who were going at it in the finals for multiple years, to me, that’s what makes great individual rivalries.
"The fact that Steph and LeBron played each other for four straight years in the finals, I think years from now there will be a ‘30 for 30’ or ‘The Last Dance’ or whatever. There will be a documentary on the rivalry. I think both guys really respect and appreciate each other and love competing against one another. Great rivalry.”
As two of the league's biggest stars, facing off against one another on the game's biggest stage has only brought out the best in each other. Which has been great for the league as a whole.
“They know that the other guy is also one of the best in the game," Kerr added. "When you aren’t the best, there’s no bigger challenge than beating the best. That’s why last year’s play-in game felt like a Finals game. It was an incredible back-and-forth game and those two guys were amazing. LeBron made a 38-footer to win the game. It was an epic game where you otherwise wouldn’t think much of when you’re talking about an (8-seed vs. 9-seed) matchup. That’s what those two guys bring to the league and bring to our fans."
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Curry and the Warriors have missed the playoffs both of the previous two seasons, losing to LeBron and the Lakers last season in the play-in tournament. This season, Golden State will look to compete with James and the Lakers for one of the top seeds in the Western Conference.