EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — After dealing with off in opposition to each other for years within the NBA Finals, LeBron James and Stephen Curry teamed up for a standard aim this summer season — profitable the gold medal on the Paris Olympics for Crew USA. The query is, will they ever be teammates once more?
“I don’t know,” James mentioned Monday.
The league’s all-time main scorer was requested in regards to the all-time chief in 3-pointers forward of the Los Angeles Lakers’ and Golden State Warriors’ two preseason video games this week — Tuesday in Las Vegas and Friday in San Francisco.
Whereas James did not pour chilly water on the concept, the possibilities of them pairing collectively on an NBA court docket — apart from the All-Star Recreation — are distant. In February, the 39-year-old James mentioned he hoped to complete his profession with the Lakers. Since then, each he and the group additional pledged their dedication to at least one one other, with L.A. drafting James’ son, Bronny James, and LeBron inking a two-year, $104 million contract extension.
The 36-year-old Curry, in the meantime, signed a one-year contract extension for $62.6 million in August that can maintain him in Golden State via the 2026-27 season — which shall be his 18th within the league, all with the identical franchise.
“I’ve all the time mentioned I need to be a Warrior for all times,” Curry instructed Andscape in July. “At this stage in my profession, I really feel like that is doable.”
The Warriors inquired about buying and selling for James main as much as the commerce deadline final season, sources instructed ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, nevertheless nothing materialized after Lakers governor Jeanie Buss directed Golden State to talk with James’ longtime agent, Wealthy Paul of Klutch Sports activities. So in all chance, James and Curry — who performed 22 Finals video games in opposition to each other over a four-year span from 2015 to 2018 — may solely have that 11-0 run along with Crew USA this summer season to cherish as teammates.
“It was every little thing and extra,” James mentioned. “I used to be tremendous excited to have the ability to lastly group up with him in a win-or-die kind ambiance. That is what it was, being part of the Olympics. It was every little thing that I dreamed of and aspired to need to be part of that group, together with Steph. Nice reminiscences. One thing that I will keep in mind from my basketball profession for the remainder of my life, for positive.”
The reminiscences of James’ triple-double and second-half protection on Nikola Jokic within the semifinals in opposition to Serbia and Curry’s flurries of 3s to shut out France within the title recreation are more energizing than their clashes with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Warriors — and even in subsequent years between L.A. and Golden State within the postseason.
“I perceive what Steph has finished for this recreation,” James mentioned. “I perceive what he is finished for his group, what he is finished for the neighborhood, folks all around the world. Simply by his strategy to the sport and the way he’s as a person. How he’s as a household man. How he’s as a husband, a dad, a son, all that stuff.
“So when you could have that kind of respect for any person and then you definately get to be round them day by day and also you see the best way they work and the way they deal with their craft, it is a fairly cool factor. You are in a position to simply respect that and never take it as a right.”
Whereas James was completely satisfied to debate Curry, he was much less eager on answering a query about how coaching camp goes for Bronny — particularly all the eye he has generated regardless of totaling simply 2 factors and 5 turnovers in 35 minutes within the preseason thus far.
“You bought to ask him,” LeBron James mentioned after observe Monday. “That is a grown man. Ask him how he is dealing with it. After which we go from there. However he is a grown man. He is an expert. He can deal with all this strain himself. However we all know why — good or unhealthy why — the eye is right here.”