Getty LeBron James #6 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to gather a loose ball against Stephen Curry #30 and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors.
From 2015 to 2018, LeBron James and Stephen Curry faced each other in four consecutive NBA Finals, with the latter going 3-1.
As a result of their battles on the league’s biggest stage, LeBron and Curry developed a rivalry on the basketball court and had some tense moments between each other in the Finals. However, the two future Hall of Famers have always respected one another, which is why LeBron has drafted Curry in back-to-back All-Star drafts.
The Los Angeles Lakers small forward and Golden State Warriors point guard will always be linked despite never being teammates. Both LeBron and Curry were born in the same hospital in Akron, Ohio, and have changed the game, with the former making player empowerment powerful and the latter transforming the way teams play offensively with his 3-point shooting.
LeBron had a 9-8 regular-season record against Curry before the Lakers lost to the Warriors on February 12. As he’s done all year, though, the King still made NBA history despite his team coming up short and Curry couldn’t help but praise LeBron.
LeBron Passed Abdul-Jabbar for Most Combined Playoff and Regular Season Points
LeBron passed the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leader in combined regular season and playoff points against the Warriors. The four-time MVP is third all-time in regular-season scoring, trailing Abdul-Jabbar and Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone.
LeBron should pass Malone later this season and he’s on pace to pass Abdul-Jabbar next season. LBJ is already the only player in NBA history to rank top-10 all-time in points and assists, making him arguably the best basketball player of all time.
LeBron has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers. He’s not only the lone player to win three Finals MVPs with three different teams, but he’s also the sole player to rank top-100 all-time in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and 3-pointers.
LeBron and Curry have combined to win six MVPs and seven championships. The Warriors guard, who made NBA history earlier this season when he became the all-time leader in 3-pointers, talked about the Lakers forward passing Abdul-Jabbar following the Los Angeles-Golden State game and sort of sent a warning to the rest of the league on LeBron’s behalf.
Curry on LeBron: ‘There’s No Real End in Sight I Don’t Think’
LeBron has seemingly defeated father time. He’s averaging 29.0 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.5 assists in his 19th season and at the age of 37.
Curry, who lost the 2016 Finals to LeBron’s Cavaliers squad in seven epic games, doesn’t think the Akron Hammer will ever slow down, which is bad news for the league.
“It’s wild to think about how many games he’s played, how long he’s been doing it, the longevity of it all is legendary,” Curry told Mark Haynes of ClutchPoints. “When you’re in that position when you play that many games, you’ve been in so many different playoff runs, he’s obviously won championships and has done it year after year after year. There’s no real end in sight I don’t think, but that’s a pretty special accomplishment.
“I know he’s probably got his eyes set on the actual scoring list (regular season) or whatever it is. I don’t know how far he is off from that, but it’s crazy to think about.”
When LeBron passes Abdul-Jabbar for the regular-season scoring record, Curry will likely congratulate him again. After all, becoming the leading scorer in NBA history shouldn’t be taken lightly.