It comes as no surprise that LeBron James and Stephen Curry didn’t like each other for a time, as the two faced off repeatedly in the NBA Finals for multiple seasons. In fact, their rivalry spurred their mutual dislike.
James and Curry admitted that because one consistently got in the way of the other’s goals, they considered their relationship a rivalry.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry Admit Title Runs Fueled Mutual Dislike
While talking with ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, James and Curry opened up about their rivalry. James explained why having that goal to win a title was why he disliked Curry as much as he did.
“I mean, s—, when you’re in a dogfight and there’s one guy that’s trying to stop you from reaching your goals, you’re going to dislike that person. He disliked me, I disliked him because we were both fighting for what the f— we wanted, and that’s the Larry O’Brien Trophy,” James said.
Curry and James squared off in the NBA Finals for four consecutive years from 2015 to 2018. Curry came out as the victor in all but one of those matchups (2016). Curry himself said that the contemptuous feeling was mutual, though he admits there was still respect.
“All you think about is just winning. So, yeah, it was petty. It was competitive. Trash talking. All the above. [But] there’s always respect. I didn’t like the player. The person’s always great. You just hate when he has a jersey on wearing No. 23,” Curry said.
Curry and James teamed up on Team USA in 2024. Because they were so used to beating each other to win the title, Curry talked about how cool it was to do it together and how that led to a friendship between the two sides.
“[We talked about] everything that had to go right to be able to celebrate a gold medal. He had experienced it plenty of times before, but it was a little sense of relief, and it was also like this is exactly what we signed up for,” Curry said.
“And the experience, it over-delivered — not just winning the gold but getting to know each other better. I’ve seen him celebrate championships, he’s seen me celebrate championships. That was kind of cool to do it together.”
Curry and James have faced off in the playoffs more recently, though not on the same stage as the NBA Finals. The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors faced off in the Western Conference semifinals in 2023, with the Lakers coming up victorious in six games.
With the reinforcements their respective teams just added, there’s a possibility the two future Hall-of-Famers will meet up again in the postseason. If they do, their rivalry just might be renewed.
