Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James and Warriors guard Steph Curry have a great relationship despite what their storied history might depict.
The NBA superstars faced off in four straight, unforgettable NBA Finals between the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018 that served as a wake-up call to James. He wasn't the only “Kid from Akron” dominating the game of basketball anymore.
But now, with Curry on the brink of his 13th season in the league and James amazingly entering his 20th, what’s next for the two phenoms?
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The Ringer’s Bill Simmons and ESPN’s Brian Windhorst discussed how the relationship has developed between Curry and James over the years, and pondered the chance of the two basketball icons ever teaming up together.
“There was some wonder about whether Curry would take that last contract with Golden State,” Windhorst said on “The Bill Simmons Podcast” on Tuesday, referring to the four-year, $215 million deal signed in August, 2021. “Now look, it ended up being zero-point-zero drama. The Warriors offered the full boat. He had some injury issues, the Warriors were looking at a $400 million payroll, no one was sure if they were going to do it.
“I thought [James] was giving [Curry] the wink-wink because he was like ‘Hey if you don’t take that last contract, come down to the Lakers.’”
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From rivals to friends to ... teammates?
Let's backtrack a bit.
James had just won the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award and was on his rise to stardom when Curry entered the league in 2009. And within the blink of an eye, there were two major stars in the league.
Tensions rose in those four consecutive Finals appearances, especially in the fourth when the two got face-to-face in a viral heated exchange in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. What was seen as a competitive rivalry turned into ... a feeling that the two really don't like each other.
But when James left Cleveland for South Beach to play with the Miami Heat, things between the two cooled down. And in the 2021 and 2022 All-Star games, James picked Curry to be on Team LeBron.
Simmons and Windhorst speculated those All-Star games could have been the two testing the waters for what the future holds as teammates.
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More recently, especially this past season, James constantly praised Curry on Twitter all season long into the playoffs and then in the Finals. Sure, that Eastern vs. Western Conference rivalry no longer is there between the two with James in Los Angeles now, so perhaps he was just rooting for the West.
Or, as Simmons and Windhorst hinted, James making nice with Curry could have a much deeper meaning.
Nonetheless, it still is intriguing to see how the relationship has evolved.
And when Curry, James and Draymond Green posted up for a flick at Green's wedding, basketball fans had a field day with it.
No one knows what the future holds. But as long as the two superstars are in the league, the speculation to see them teamed up at least once likely won't ever end.