During the 2010s, the rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors was one of the most enjoyable things to watch for NBA fans. The two teams matched up in the NBA Finals four consecutive times. But one of the biggest attractions to the NBA Finals matchups was the rivalry between Stephen Curry and LeBron James.
While Steph was rising as a superstar in the league, LBJ was already one at the time. Obviously, due to the duo playing so many times against each other, the media started to draw comparisons between them.
Although Steph’s Warriors ended up winning three out of the four NBA Finals series between them, many still believe to this date that James is undoubtedly the better player.
Stephen A. Smith On Stephen Curry And LeBron James
Stephen Curry winning the fourth ring of his career in 2022 catapulted him ahead of many players on the list of the best players of all time. So much so that a recent poll was conducted among NBA GMs where they were asked to share the name of the player whom they would want to take a game-winning shot.
Stephen Curry won that poll by a landslide, while LBJ didn’t even receive a single vote. There are several things fans believe that Curry is ahead of James, but NBA analyst Stephen A. Smith recently revealed that when LeBron arrived in arenas, it’s a different feel.
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“To me, Curry’s my favorite player. But I can tell you that as a guy that goes to the arenas, man. When LeBron walks in, it’s just a different feel. As much as you love Curry and as much as you love watching Golden State, as entertaining as they are, I think he’s the greatest shooter that ever lived, greatest shooter that God ever created, but when LeBron walks into a building, it’s a different animal.”
Smith was asked not to dive into anything apart from the basketball aspect in order to pick between Stephen Curry and LeBron James about as which player will the fans remember this era for.
But Smith talked about the popularity and hype of the players anyway. And the reason why he picked LeBron is due to the fact that James has had this popularity since day one.
