• Stephen Curry and James Harden attended LeBron James’ camps when they were in college
• A video shows Curry, Harden, and many other college prospects in a huddle with LeBron and Chris Paul
• James gives the group an inspiring pep talk
A video of LeBron James giving a talk to a group of college students at his camp. The video is from either 2008 or 2009, as James Harden and Stephen Curry can be seen among the attendees at the camp. The viral video shows James giving a speech to the kids after a practice session.
“That’s how basketball is supposed to be played. Everything we’re working on. Pick-and-roll, pin-down, coming off and shooting shots, being patient, everything. I love the trash-talking, and it’s gonna happen. This is basketball and we’re going to compete. No one wants to lose, none of us. That’s real man, that’s the only way we’re gonna get better.”
LeBron coaching up a young Steph Curry and James Harden at his training camp in 2009 pic.twitter.com/AIwkkpwhbj
— 🎭 (@MaskedInLA) September 13, 2023
LeBron insisted that the players compete every possession before giving them a speech on their importance to their teams. James let them know that every time their team loses, it’ll be blamed on the star player. But every time the team wins, everyone gets to share the glory, and it creates a positive environment.
Curry and Harden would go on to beat out LeBron for MVP trophies soon after, so maybe James regrets giving the advice. That is a joke, as LeBron has always tried to pay the game forward in the same way players like Kobe Bryant did for him.
LeBron James Was An Early Believer In Stephen Curry
Outside of Curry just participating in LeBron-led basketball camps, he was also a college star that LeBron knew was going to be special. We have seen clips of James attending old games at Davidson College when Curry played. It’s unclear if this interaction happened before or after James worked with Curry in his camp, but it’s clear that ‘Bron knew something worth keeping an eye on was developing when he was still young in the league, mentoring Curry until he made it to the league.
James and Curry are arguably each other’s biggest rivals. Curry won three championships by beating the LeBron-led Cleveland Cavaliers in 2015, 2017, and 2018. James’ one Finals win over Curry is arguably the greatest championship win of the modern era, as the Cavs overcame a 3-1 comeback against the greatest regular season team in history to win that title.
Their latest battle came in the 2023 Western Conference Semi-Finals, where James’ Lakers beat Curry’s Warriors 4-2 and made a shock run to the Western Conference Finals, where they got swept by the Nuggets.
LeBron James Has Seen Curry And Harden’s Primes Come And Go
LeBron has been in the league so long that he was giving advice to Curry and Harden as a six-year veteran in the NBA. Even after these generational talents have entered the league, they have competed against James in some way or the other every season. Curry and Harden are in the twilight of their careers and still competing against James, who is entering his 21st season in the NBA.
Harden and James have had a few meetings in the playoffs but in very separate stages of their careers. James won his first NBA Championship over Harden’s Oklahoma City Thunder. Harden was a sixth man and hadn’t discovered the MVP-level form we saw from him in Houston.
James and Harden faced off in the 2020 Western Conference Second Round, where the Lakers comfortably beat Harden’s Rockets. That was James Harden’s final playoff appearance with the Rockets, demanding a trade soon after.
Curry has many years ahead of him still due to his incredible fitness and shooting ability. Harden has seemingly regressed in recent seasons but still led the league in assists last season. All three players are part of the ‘old guard’ of the NBA, which is incredible to think when James was advising them before they even got to the league.
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