Future Hall of Famers Steph Curry and LeBron James have undoubtedly left their respective marks in the NBA. Their competitive nature and determination to win are also displayed on the court when they suit up to play against each other during the regular season or playoffs.
But outside their rivalry, Curry and James, who are both NBA champions and MVP winners, are very good friends. They also recently put their rivalry aside as they led the United States men’s basketball team to win gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
In an interview with PEOPLE to talk about his new investment and partnership with Nirvana Super Waters & Seltzers, Curry touched on his excitement about teaming up with James at the Olympics. The Golden State Warriors superstar also said he had no qualms with burying any former rivalry to make that happen.
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“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, 36, said.
“Hopefully, there will be more experiences in the future, even if we’re teammates or not,” he continued. Curry, however, highlighted that he and the Los Angeles Lakers superstar will “still have to compete against each other until it’s all over” when the 2024–25 NBA season starts in October.
NBA fans reportedly buzzed over their friendship when James, 39, updated his profile picture with a photo of him and Kevin Durant after Team USA won gold at the Olympics.
“I posted the picture of us holding our medals,” Curry told PEOPLE. “There’s a sense of pride being an Olympian, and for him, I know he’s done it before but it’s been a minute since 2012 when he played.”
Curry and James are veterans in the NBA as they are entering their 16th and 22nd seasons respectively. Curry said James continuing to play with the same intensity was “no surprise”, stating that it was because of being consistent and hardworking.
Curry said he saw James display those qualities firsthand during their time in Paris. He touched on his basketball longevity as well as that of James and Durant, 35, saying that it is “not by accident.”
“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, it’s day in, day out,” Curry stated. “That little bit of investment in preparing your body and your mind to perform. There’s nothing really glamorous about it. It’s extremely hard work. It gets monotonous at times and dealing with all the bumps and bruises of being an athlete, injuries that you have and all that type of stuff, it’s a grind.”
He added: “I think we motivated each other even more to however much longer we have left playing.”
