Despite the fact they are always clashing on the court, Curry and James have become good friends with each other off the court. And yet, Curry recently admitted that he holds a “healthy resentment” towards James so that he makes sure he is giving it his all against every time they face off against each other.
“It was like a healthy resentment of somebody that’s standing in your way. But through it all, like there’s obviously the utmost respect for who he is as a person and a player and like how good he is and the challenge of trying to beat him and trying to solve that problem every year.” – Stephen Curry, The Athletic
Stephen Curry, LeBron James teaming up for first time on Team USA
Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
When you play against someone as much as Curry and LeBron have played against each other, it’s natural to get sick of playing against them. While many players in the NBA are friendly with each other nowadays, Curry makes sure that he holds a bit of hate towards James so that he always goes out and gives it his all.
For the first time in their careers, though, Curry and James have teamed up with each other as part of the Team USA 2024 Summer Olympics squad. While there are stars up and down this roster, the thing fans everywhere seem most excited about is seeing this duo play together. After years of tough battles against each other, seeing how they play together is incredibly exciting.
Once the Olympics are over, though, you can bet that Curry’s resentment of James will kick back in. He will be trying to get the Warriors back on track without Klay Thompson after he signed with the Dallas Mavericks this offseason, while LeBron will be hoping that the Lakers swapping out Darvin Ham for JJ Redick as the team’s head coach will help them have a more successful 2024-25 campaign.
No matter what, Curry and James are going to command fans’ attention whenever they find themselves on a basketball court. And while they respect each other a lot, keeping those competitive juices flowing is crucial to the success of their rivalry. For now, that competitive spirit gets to take a bit of a break, but you can bet it will be out in full force once again when they play against each other next season.
Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints, who also covers the NBA and MLB. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Sport Management, ran his own website, and had bylines at FanSided and the Basketball Network.
