Stephen Curry and LeBron James will soon be teammates on Team USA for the 2024 Paris Olympics. On his new Heat Check podcast, Curry spoke at length about James and he seems to be looking forward to sharing a locker room with him in the future.
“It’s funny you say about (Michael Jordan) because LeBron was going to be my next one,” Curry said. “Everybody just talked about his ability to kinda lift those around him… I heard he’s like a light-hearted type of guy. Wants to have fun all the time, creates a good culture within the locker room.
“But he also has that other edge where he can turn up to like the demanding —maybe not I guess as fierce as we know MJ to be but can get to that level of competitiveness that lifts the whole locker room in that respect,” Curry continued. “Obviously, you just want to play around greatness and see that kind of talent on display every single night.
“That’d be interesting,” Curry stated. “Maybe we’ll get that, not in the NBA, but maybe on a Team USA-type vibe before we get outta here. That would be awesome.”
James and Curry have played on the same team at All-Star Games, but this would be the first time they team up in a competitive setup. The Golden State Warriors superstar has heard great things about how LeBron operates in the locker room and he will now get a chance to experience it first-hand.
Curry is also looking forward to just playing in the Olympics for the first time. He was not part of the roster in 2012 and then pulled out in 2016 and 2021. The Olympic gold is the only thing missing from Curry’s resume and he is keen to get his hands on it before he walks away from the game.
As for LeBron, he will be participating in the Olympics for the fourth time this year. James won the bronze medal in 2004 and gold in 2008 and 2012. Like Curry, he passed on the chance to appear in the 2016 and 2021 editions but is raring to go in this upcoming one.
Joining James and Curry on that roster are the likes of Kevin Durant, Joel Embiid, and Anthony Davis. It is a star-studded group and I have to say I struggle to see how Team USA does not win the gold in 2024.
Stephen Curry Named LeBron James As One Of The Top Five Players Of His Era
Over the course of his career, Curry has had the pleasure of competing against some special players. That was the case for his father Dell Curry too, who is his co-host on the podcast. In one episode, Steph and Dell named the top five greatest players of their eras.
“I’ma go from basically from 2009 to right now, we got Bron, KD, Kawhi. I know every time you do this you’re gonna miss somebody and people will say, ‘Oh my God, he left him off the list? What was he thinking?”
“This guy doesn’t know basketball,… I got obviously myself… There’s like a group of four, I’m picking from right now… I’m gonna say James.”
I think if you go from 2009 to the present day, then the likes of Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo deserve strong consideration. I’d put them over James Harden and perhaps even Kawhi Leonard.
As for Dell, he went with Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. I certainly won’t argue against any of those picks.