Could LeBron James play with Steph Curry in the future?
Though he’s always been forthcoming with compliments about teams, players and coaches, is this an indication by the Lakers’ star as to what comes next?
Though it might surprise you, the man they call the king in the NBA is actually a fan of the Golden State Warriors. who knew?
LeBron James loves Steph Curry’s game
As much as he has got to be considered an eternal rival of the Golden State Warriors - they’ve met in four consecutive NBA Finals - LeBron James is a longtime has never hidden his admiration for the San Francisco based franchise. Indeed, despite the varying times that they have battled it out for the Larry O’Brien trophy, the legendary Laker has made a point on several occasions to pay homage to not only the Warriors’ players, but the organization itself and the of course the manner in which it is operated. Following the 2021 NBA All-Star Game,mes made no secret of the joy he experienced after playing with Golden State’s Steph Curry and even went a step further to explain that Curry is the player he’d most like to play with.
“In today’s game, sh-- there’s some m-----f------ in today’s game, but Steph Curry,” James said. “Steph Curry’s the one that I wanna play with for sure, in today’s game. ...I love everything about that guy. Lethal. When he get out his car, you better guard him right from the moment he pulls up to the arena. ...You might wanna guard him when he get out of the bed. Swear to god. He’s serious.”
Does LeBron James want to play with the Warriors?
With the All-Star now two months in the past one might think that it was simply a case of James being lost in a moment of festivities and paying a compliment to a fellow star in the league, but it would appear that isn’t the case. In a promo for an upcoming episode of his HBO series, The Shop, James revealed that of the teams remaining in the playoffs - at the time of recording - he’d most want to play for the Warriors. “I would love getting into a pissing match with Draymond [Green],” James joked. “I love when someone cusses me out.”
Was he just shooting the breeze or can we assume that he may have been referring to to the infamous moment back in 2018 when Green went all in with his then teammate and league MVP Kevin Durant. At the time the pair definitely had a go at each other during a regular season game. Durant would eventually leave at the end of the season, which of course would add further speculation as to whether or not there was a right between the two players. According to James, he’d be ‘A-OK’ with such an argument.
LeBron James has given love to many NBA teams
While one might be tempted to speculate about James’ most recent compliments, it should be said that the Lakers star has always been forthcoming with the love when it comes to other teams in the league. The four time NBA champion recently praised Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti during the All-Star Weekend. James also famously refused to rule out another return to Cleveland. That’s all to say that along with his seemingly appreciative approach to other teams, where the Warriors specifically are concerned he’s been quite open about his feelings in recent months.
Yet, it must be said there is one interesting factor in all of this. James is eligible for a contract extension with the Lakers this very off-season. Should the NBA icon decline to do so, he will become a free agent at which point one can imagine there will be an extensive line of suitors. It goes without saying that unless James is willing to take a pay cut, there are very few teams that will be able to afford his top tier services, but rest assured the Warriors are one of the few who can. Add to that his recent declaration of his intention to play with his son Bronny when he is drafted and you’ve got yourself the makings of an interesting scenario. For the time being all we can do is wait to see whether the Lakers are able to build around their star after a disastrous OR if he will look for fields anew when the next NBA season comes.