Getty Injured Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors cheers on his team against the Utah Jazz in the first half at Chase Center on April 02, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The Golden State Warriors have been a destination for great NBA players for much of the last decade. Now, perhaps the biggest star of all is dropping hints that he might be interested in relocating to the Bay Area.
Four-time league MVP LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers were officially eliminated from playoff contention after a 121-110 drubbing at the hands of the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, April 5. But James made news soon after via an episode of his HBO series “The Shop: Uninterrupted,” which aired on the same night the Lakers got bounced the postseason.
As part of a clip that can be viewed on YouTube, James was asked who he would like to play with most, as his historic career moves into what appears to be its final years. He brought up his son Bronny initially, who is still in high school. When it comes to current NBA stars, however, James first mentioned perhaps the top rival of his professional career.
“In today’s game? S***, there’s some m************ in today’s game, but Steph Curry,” James said. “Steph Curry is the one that I would want to play with, for sure.”
“I love everything about that guy — lethal,” James continued. “When he gets out of his car, you’d better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. As soon as he gets out of his car, you better guard his ass. You might want to guard him when he gets out of bed.”
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Curry Responds to James’ Comments on Joining Warriors
Getty/Lachlan CunninghamStephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors drives to the rim against LeBron James of the LA Lakers.
Curry was speaking during a radio interview with 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area the next day when the hosts played for him the sound of James’ comments. His reaction was interesting, to say the least.
The two-time MVP broke out laughing when he heard James’ voice come into his headphones. Curry ended his comments by giving James props as one of the best to ever play the game, but stopped far short of saying he was about teaming up with his long-time rival prior to that.
Steph Curry’s reaction to hearing LeBron James comments about wanting to play with him 🔥
“Oh, shoot! That is phenomenal,” Curry said. “Well, he got his wish. He was the captain, he’s picked me the last two All-Star games. I don’t know if that suffices, but I’m good right now. I’m good right now.”
“I mean, whenever you get the interest or curiosity of what it would be like to play with arguably the MVP kinda caliber dude like he is and one of the greatest of all time, cool. That’s amazing,” Curry continued. “We all can’t live in that fantasy world, though.”
Curry Has James’ Number in Head-to-Head Matchups
GettyGolden State Warriors guard Steph Curry defending LA Lakers forward LeBron James.
Curry and James have always shown each other respect in their public comments, but the rivalry between the two has been heated for years, which might explain Curry’s being “good right now” on the idea of someday teaming up.
The Warriors met James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals four straight years between 2015-18, winning three of those four matchups. The only time the Dubs lost was in 2016 after posting the best regular season record of all time (73-9) before squandering a 3-1 series lead over the Cavs despite having home court advantage.
Curry won league MVP in back-to-back regular seasons in 2014-15 and 2015-16, a stretch of time during which basketball analysts and experts speculated that he had taken, or was in the process of taking, the mantle of “best player in the world” away from James.
It is James who has more recently hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy as an NBA champion, winning his fourth title in 2019-20 over the Miami Heat. However, it is Curry who will compete for his fourth ring with the Warriors this postseason, while James will be forced to watch the playoffs from his couch in Los Angeles.
Curry has been ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a sprained ligament in his foot, though he is expected to return at something close to full health when the playoffs begin on Saturday, April 16.