LeBron James and Stephen Curry were the faces of an iconic rivalry between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. They faced off in 4 consecutive NBA Finals, with Curry’s Warriors coming out ahead 3 of the 4 times. LeBron’s sole title win against the Warriors came with a famous 3-1 comeback in the 2016 Finals that prompted the Warriors to sign Kevin Durant that offseason.
LeBron and Curry are professional rivals but have been getting friendlier over the years. Recently, LeBron was a guest at Draymond Green’s wedding alongside Curry. Bron, Draymond, and Curry took a picture together by raising up 4 fingers, referencing the championship rings each player has won.
Bill Simmons and Brian Windhorst discussed how LeBron in 2018 would never have taken a picture like that due to the intensity of the Warriors-Cavaliers rivalry.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvwZfit2C34
Brian Windhorst: “Then there was Draymond Green’s wedding in the summer where they all posted that picture with the 4, like, ‘hey let’s get the 4 title club together’. There’s no way.
Bill Simmons: “You think he would have done that 5 years ago?”
Brian Windhorst: “Hell no!”
Bill Simmons: “I do not think he does that.”
Times have changed since LeBron and Curry battled it out in the NBA Finals. The Chef dominated that matchup, winning three of their four duels, while LeBron won the most memorable of all. Those years were huge for the Cavaliers and Warriors, but the Dubs were the ones taking the wins in the biggest series of all.
Have LeBron And Curry Mended Fences?
The rivalry between the players was intense but rarely ever got to being disrespectful. As we see in NBA rivalries, lines can often get crossed in the heat of the battle. While the players and the teams had disagreements and on-court arguments, neither LeBron nor Curry were ever in a situation where they had done something to cross the line.
Ever since LeBron came out East and hasn’t directly competed against Steph outside the 2021 Play-In game between the Lakers and the Warriors, the pair’s friendship seems to have improved. They clearly had a great time at Draymond’s wedding and playing as teammates in the last 2 All-Star games, as LeBron has drafted Curry anytime he has had the chance.
Maybe this was all a ploy for LeBron to eventually get Curry to join the Lakers as a free agent but it is evident that the once rivals have admiration and respect for what they have achieved in the NBA.
