The basketball bromance of Stephen Curry and LeBron James is continuing as the NBA gears up for its 75th anniversary season. Speaking with ESPN‘s Nick Friedell after a shootaround, Curry looked ahead to the season opener for his Warriors against the Los Angeles Lakers. Curry would herald James when asked about matching up against James for years, noting LeBron “set the standard.”
“Let’s keep it real — what is he, in his 18th year? Nine straight Finals, all the things that he’s accomplished. You have a vision of sustaining your prime for as long as you can, kind of reimagining what that looks like,” Curry said. “So you know the work that goes into it, the intentionality, especially in the offseasons, especially how you take care of your body, your mind. Balance on court, off court.”
The love between Curry and James stretched back to Steph’s years at Davidson when LeBron pulled up to see him play.
“And my sophomore year, [NCAA] tournament run he came to a game, then came to a game my junior year. This is hilarious. I still have a jersey that he signed back in ’08 in my parents’ house back in Charlotte. So it’s kind of weird to think about what’s happened in the last 13, 14 years.”
Curry and James remain the top draws for the NBA. Last year’s play-in game between the Lakers and Warriors brought in massive ratings for the league. The 103-100 victory for the Lakers drew 5.6 million viewers on ESPN, a staggering number that easily rates as the highest-rated game of the season. The numbers for the final portion of the game were even better, with the final minutes attracting over 6.1 million viewers.
The two will meet again as the second part of the NBA season opening night, which is kicks off with a rematch of the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets.
