Getty Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry and head coach Steve Kerr.
Given his four consecutive NBA Finals matchups against the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015 through 2018, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry may always be, in some way, compared to LeBron James. It’s probably not fair to look at the two player’s individual statistics side by side, as they have always been significantly different types of players suiting up at different positions.
What can be done though is look at both LeBron’s and Steph’s career accolades and accomplishments and see how they stack up against one another. While Curry and LBJ are commonly compared in modern NBA times, James is even more often viewed as the closest thing to Michael Jordan that the league as ever seen.
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The LBJ vs. M.J. “G.O.A.T.” debate is one that has lasted for years and will likely last for many more. Not many fans and experts seem to view Jordan and Curry side by side though, but Dubs head coach Steve Kerr thinks the duo may have more in common than they think.
Kerr: ‘I Think Steph in a Lot of Ways Is Like Michael Jordan’
GettyGolden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr and point guard Stephen Curry during a game on October 28, 2021.
Jordan was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame over one decade ago and Steph will without a doubt join him in Springfield, Massachusetts, someday. Kerr, and most others, wouldn’t dare compare M.J. and Steph based on individual statistics such as points, rebounds and assists, but with No. 30 surely on the back half of his playing career, it’s reasonable to check out both players’ rack of awards.
Some of the most notable accolades for Jordan include 14 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA honors, five regular season MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, six NBA championships and six NBA Finals MVPs. Curry is certainly going to add some more hardware to mantle before he calls it quits, but for now, he has seven All-Star appearances, seven All-NBA honors, two regular season MVP awards, two scoring titles and three NBA championships.
What reminds Kerr of “His Airness” the most when he watches Chef Curry cook is the pure feeling both player brings to the game.
Greatness recognizes greatness 🤝
It seems unlikely that Curry will ever reach M.J.’s five MVP awards or 10 scoring titles, but if Steph can win a few more NBA titles, and add a Finals MVP to his resumé, he would undoubtedly enter another echelon amongst the all-time NBA greats. One thing that neither Jordan nor LeBron will ever be able to take from Curry is his soon-to-be all-time three-point record.
Kerr Spent 4 Seasons Playing With ‘His Airness’
GettyMichael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls following game three of the 1997 NBA Finals.
Kerr, of course, not only has been Steph’s head coach for the last eight seasons, but also played four years with No. 23. Jordan’s most famous Chicago Bulls teammates include Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and of course Dennis Rodman, but a critical piece of the Bulls’ three-peat in the late 1990s was Kerr as well.
The former guard joined Chicago for the 1993-1994 season – which was also when Jordan tried his hand at a baseball career – but when M.J. came back for Kerr’s final four years with the Bulls, the team returned to greatness. Kerr was remarkably durable over his first four seasons with Chicago, playing in all 82 games in each campaign from the 1993-1994 season through the 1996-1997 season.
Kerr did one thing great, but he did it like anybody else in his second season with the Bulls, as his stunning .524 three-point percentage led the entire NBA. He shot above 40% from beyond the arc every year he was with the Bulls and hit some big-time playoff jumpers as well.
Kerr played for six teams in his 16-season NBA career, but his best numbers were clearly in Chicago. The following averages that the now-56-year-old put up in Chi-Town were career-highs: 8.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 23.2 minutes, .507 field goal percentage and .479 three-point percentage.
Now, Kerr is coaching the best three-point shooter the game has ever seen.
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