LeBron James Speaks on Curry's Greatness
There comes a time in sports when game recognizes game. Sometimes it’s a passing of the torch moment, sometimes it’s just two good players acknowledging and praising each other for their accomplishments, and sometimes it’s as much as a handshake at half court after the final buzzer.
ESPN reporters Dave McMenamin and Israel Gutierezz had the opportunity to witness a moment like this earlier this week in writing an article on NBA players and coaches sharing their stories on Stephen Curry’s greatness as he approaches Ray Allen’s regular-season three pointer record. There are some pretty good stories in there, including a few from his teammates Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, and Kevon Looney, as well as his coach Steve Kerr.
A few other notable names who were cited in the article: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Chris Paul, and LeBron James. While hearing a young legend in Giannis and a longtime rival in Paul is certainly cool to see, James’ comments stand out. Him and Curry have faced off in the NBA Finals 4 times now, with a 3-1 record advantage for Curry and the Warriors in those trips. If there’s anyone who knows what it’s like to see his greatness first-hand from the other side, it’s LeBron.
“He's hit so many big-time shots and buckets against us. Obviously he's been phenomenal his whole career, and more importantly, just a great dude” James told Gutierezz and McMenamin. “We're all witnesses to what Steph Curry has done in his career and the way he's changed the game and he's a once-in-a-lifetime basketball player."
James and Curry got to play together for the first time in last season’s all-star game, with both of them having a lot of fun on the court and positive mentions of each other off the court afterwards. LeBron has played with some great guards throughout his career (Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irving) that certainly qualify as top talents, but nobody quite like Steph.
“I mean, first of all, the fact that the other night when they played, we were really tracking him to see if he would make 16 3s in a game, it just lets you know how freaking amazing this guy is. I mean, if there's one guy in NBA history that can make 16 3s, it would be Steph Curry” James said in the same article, referencing the Warriors matchup against the Blazers earlier this week that caused the media to speculate on whether Steph could break the single-game and all-time season record on the same night.
This isn’t the first time LeBron has acknowledged how damn good Steph is. He is famously quoted, when talking about the NBA Finals a few years back, saying how unguardable Curry was in those games. A reporter inquired how he intends on stopping Curry, to which James responded “Same way you stop me. You can’t.”
While their fans may not always get along (or never get along, really), it’s good to see that the players themselves have no animosity. There’s even a great respect amongst the two. Both are winners of multiple MVPs and multiple NBA titles, and have proven to be two of the most influential players of their time.
In a day where there’s plenty of attempts to discredit others, the brotherhood of basketball is the gift that keeps on giving. The mutual respect for two of the game’s best to ever do it is a nice sight to see, especially with all the rhetoric from older players trying to take away from what the guys are doing today.
(Photo credit: Jim Poorten / Getty Images)