LeBron James and Stephen Curry spent the 2010s as heated rivals who met in four consecutive NBA Finals, but their relationship has thawed considerably in the 2020s as both of their teams have fallen from constant contention. The pair teamed up for Team USA over the summer, with head coach Steve Kerr telling the media about how strong their relationship was at the 2024 Olympics, calling it a bromance.
“It was a bromance. I think those guys, there’s so much respect and has been for so long. Until you’re playing on the same team, you won’t know what that’s like, and it clicked from day one. They remind me of each other but not in the way they play, but the way they prepare.”
He remarked on the professionalism and leadership of both players and how he got to see the similarities between James and Curry after spending time with LeBron over the summer.
“LeBron is as professional as anybody I have ever been around in my life. His approach to everything. Every morning I would go to the gym to workout at 7 AM and LeBron would be there with his trainer. Practice was at 10. There’s a reason he’s doing what he’s doing at 39. The way he approaches practice, talks in shootaround, and film sessions, and engages his teammates and leads, it’s very similar to Steph.”
“I think LeBron is more vocal but there’s an inherent leadership that is immediately apparent with both guys. It was impressive to watch and the fact they did it together, it became their team very quickly, and the guys followed their lead.”
LeBron and Curry were the clear on-court leaders for Team USA at the Olympics, leading the team in production. James won the Olympics MVP and averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists, while Curry averaged 14.8 points per game on 47.8% from three-point range with incredible scoring outbursts in the semi-finals and finals to secure his first Olympic Gold and LeBron’s third.
Their summer tryst has led to multiple rumors about the pair potentially teaming up in the NBA, but that possibility will be incredibly challenging to execute.
LeBron And Steph On The Same NBA Team Is A Distant Likelihood
There have been a lot of attempts at drumming up interest in an NBA team-up with both James and Curry. That won’t be as simple as declaring for Team USA was, with both players on rival Western Conference teams which makes the possibility of either joining the other slim.
The Golden State Warriors tried to acquire LeBron via trade last winter but that approach was rebuffed by the Los Angeles Lakers. There has been no officially reported approach for Curry by the Lakers, but that doesn’t seem like a sensible route given the Lakers simply don’t have the assets to acquire a player of Steph’s caliber.
The only way they can team up is if James joins the Warriors next summer as a free agent. LeBron has a $52.6 million player option on his contract which he could decline for whatever money the capped-out Warriors can offer him in free agency.
Curry is under contract until 2027, so the only way his joining the Lakers can be possible is if he signs as a free agent then, provided James doesn’t retire. But the pair teaming up in their 40s won’t necessarily create a competitive atmosphere, so it’s best to leave this idea to NBA 2K or hypothetical conversations.
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