After 15 years in the NBA together, Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James were finally able to team up for the first time over the Summer for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Not only did the USA win gold, but they did it in style with Curry hitting four clutch three-pointers down the stretch, topping it off with his “night-night” celebration against the host country, France, in the gold medal match.
Since then, rumors have swirled of a possible Curry and LeBron team-up in the NBA, with the Lakers being the most common destination. In an interview with People, Curry discussed playing with James for the first time and addressed some of the speculation.
“All the battles we’ve had on the court and the back and forth, the fact that we actually got to be teammates, not just in any game like an All-Star game or whatever, but in high stakes basketball with a lot on the line…I think there’s a deepened respect and friendship there,” Curry said.
Steph Curry and LeBron James at the Paris Olympics
© Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports
Curry then went on to hint that he and LeBron will likely not play with each other in the NBA for the rest of their careers.
“Hopefully, there will be more experiences in the future, even if we’re teammates or not,” Curry continued. “[We] still have to compete against each other until it’s all over.”
Despite being good friends, Curry and LeBron have had some epic battles throughout their NBA run, most notably four straight NBA Finals battles from 2015 to 2018 when James played for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Paris Games was Curry’s first ever Olympics, while it was LeBron’s fourth. James previously won gold in 2008 Beijing and 2012 London. He also won bronze in 2004 Athens, his first appearance at the worldwide event.
