“I still had to get used to liking the guy because of all of our battles” : Steph Curry reflects on teaming up with LeBron James in the Olympics a
Apart from the USA assembling a dream team or ‘The Avengers’ as LeBron James previously addressed it, fans got to see two of the greatest basketball players of all time in the same team after a long wait in the Olympics, Stephen Curry and LeBron James.
Curry and James go way back, as they had started off as major rivals for each other, with their peak hitting when they competed in four consecutive NBA finals against each other as part of the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers respectively.
Over the years, their sheer competitiveness and the quest to be better than the other turned into mutual respect between the two, showing that the once heated rivalry matured and turned the two into friends along the way as well. Fans were finally able to see the duo play together in the recent Paris Olympics, where both Americans were essential in USAB’s Olympic gold victory.
Steph Curry admires the longevity and the work done behind it from LeBron James
In a recent appearance on ‘The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert’, Steph Curry revealed a precious moment between him and James, where the Lakers superstar backed him up after having a then dry spell during their time together in the Olympic team.
“… asked me the same question, ‘What’s wrong with your shot?’ Positive self-talking, ‘No we’re winning. I know it’s going to come, I know a flurry is coming,'” Curry said. “As soon as I said it, LeBron walks behind me, ‘Damn right it is.’ At first, it caught me off guard because I still had to get used to liking the guy because of all of our battles,” said the 36-year-old.
The flurry sure did arrive, when Curry was back to his best in the semi-final and final of the Olympics, where he showcased one of his best performances in recent memory against Serbia and France. The Warriors man also created a shocking viral moment which will be remembered for years to come, when he hit five consecutive threes in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter in the final against France and led the team home.
The 36-year-old also talked about LeBron James in another interview with PEOPLE magazine’s Natasha Dye, where he praised the 39-year-old’s abysmal longevity which is still making him compete at the highest level possible.
“It’s everything that most people don’t get to see, it’s the time on the recovery table, it’s the time in the weight room … That little bit of investment in preparing your body and your mind to perform. There’s nothing really glamorous about it. … I think we motivated each other even more to however much longer we have left playing,” said the Warriors superstar.
From heated on-court fights and jabs to admiring each other’s abilities, the duo of Stephen Curry and LeBron James have come a long way while sharing the stage together for about a decade, which has also made them grow and become greater versions of themselves. Although fans will not be able to see the duo play together in the NBA, their little glimpse together in the Olympics showcased what the two can be capable of doing together.
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