Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has never really had a bitter rival during his time as a dominant force in the NBA, with the future Hall-of-Famer usually getting a lot of respect from his opponents, especially in the twilight of his incredible career in the league.
Although there’s never been a bitter rivalry, a player that has likely come the closest to being a rival of the four-time NBA champion is Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry.
If it weren’t for the emergence of Curry and the three-point shooting era he started in the NBA, James’ career might have gone much differently, as there’s a chance he’d have three more championships to his total right now rather than his four, which puts him two short of Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Curry was recently asked to describe his relationship with James in one word, and he may have come up with the perfect word to put the relationship into perspective, via Robin Lundberg of Sports Illustrated.
I asked Steph Curry for one word to describe his relationship with LeBron pic.twitter.com/vE4Na6z4WL
— Robin Lundberg (@robinlundberg) July 21, 2023
It’d be safe to say that Curry and James likely have a love-hate relationship, especially when coming from the perspective of the 38-year-old forward.
As mentioned earlier, if Curry didn’t exist or failed to reach superstardom as the undisputed leader of the Warriors, James’ career would’ve gone differently, and he may be the GOAT without a debate with three more titles.
However, that’s not the case, and Curry is still going strong in the Bay Area, with the Warriors gearing up for another run with the addition of James’ close friend, Chris Paul.
