Never before have Stephen Curry and LeBron James taken the court for the same team. Their rivalry, 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧e out of numerous NBA Finals matchups over the past decade, will be put to one side this summer as they team up with the United States national team at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris — and fans are curious to see their rapport as teammates, not adversaries.
Curry and James are two of the headliners on a stacked Team USA, which is in pursuit of a fifth consecutive gold medal. The roster is loaded with talent and experience, counting six NBA champions among its 12 members — including James and Curry, who has recently spoken about what it will be like to play with LeBron at last instead of against him.
On an episode of his new podcast “Heat Check,” Curry compared James favorably to Michael Jordan, and hoped the NBA’s all-time leading scorer would lift those around him in what will be his third (and likely final) Olympics.
“I heard he’s like a light-hearted type of guy. Always wants to have fun,” Curry said. “Maybe we’ll get that, not in the NBA, but maybe on a Team USA-type vibe.”
“Everybody just talked about his ability to lift those around him… I heard he’s like a light-hearted type of guy. Always wants to have fun… Maybe we’ll get that, not in the NBA, but maybe on a team USA-type vibe.”
Steph Curry on LeBron James 🙌pic.twitter.com/rDD7zT9M1b
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 17, 2024
Curry, going to the Olympics for the first time, has faced off with LeBron in five playoff series since 2015 — four of them in the NBA Finals, which pitted his Golden State Warriors against James’ Cleveland Cavaliers. The Warriors won three of those Finals series, and James’ Los Angeles Lakers got a measure of revenge with a second-round playoff series victory in 2023.
Happy Father’s Day to LeBron James’s father…
WARDELL STEPHEN CURRY🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/OTRyIkXQtG
— E-Man (@WigginsWick22) June 16, 2024
Curry and James will be joined by an assortment of elite talent that includes Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, Kawhi Leonard, and Jayson Tatum as they hope to strike gold in Paris next month. As Curry has intimated, chemistry and a good locker room atmosphere will be essential, and Team USA’s very best will be required in order to reign supreme again in world basketball.
