Does being a first-round pick in the NBA guarantee you an easy route in your rookie season? Not necessarily. Along with the challenges a rookie usually face, a player might also be selected by a lottery team, which is a franchise that did not make the playoffs. When Stephen Curry was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2009, the franchise had made it to the playoffs only once in the last 15 years. This along with some internal problems, led to an environment that Curry did not find too welcoming.
During an episode of Dell Curry’s Heat Check podcast in June, Steph highlighted the difficulty that came from transitioning to a winning team in AAU and High School to a franchise that was far away from earning the status that it holds today. Curry transported listeners to 2009 by revealing how “guys were demanding trades, and there’s turmoil upstairs, in the front office. The ownership had started the selling process, and couldn’t (put) the franchise on the market for the new owner.” For Curry, the goal was not to get tangled in the issues but to improve himself as a player. Fortunately, he found some help from outside the Warriors.
“I knew that there was an opportunity, but I didn’t wanted to get too far ahead of myself to know. Like, I just had to figure out this game first, and then figure out where I where I fit in, where I can have value, and what type of player I’m going to be. And, I got a lot of advice from yourself (Dell Curry), some from LeBron,” Steph noted. “Like, it was a lot of tunnel vision that happened early, just to make sure that I could, you know, position myself as a certified NBA player that’s gonna be around for a long time. And then, the rest would kind of follow from there.”
By 2009, LeBron James had already established himself as a recognizable face in the league. His six-year stint by that point had seen him secure the Rookie of the Year title, five selections to the All-Star team which further resulted in two All-Star Game MVP titles, and over five All-NBA team honors. While other star players like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal still dominated the league, LeBron was the one who Curry chose to go to. During a separate segment of the ‘Heat Check’ podcast, the Warriors star revealed how LeBron would turn out to watch his college games. Prior to the rookie’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the veteran even called him up to ask “You want to come to the house?” From spending the night around with him and then very young Bronny and Bryce to playing in the bowling alley, the then 21-year-old may have found a mentor in LeBron James that night.
The 2008-09 season was, without a doubt, a dark period in Warriors’ history, with the franchise ending their run with a 29–53 win record. Star player Monta Ellis was suspended for 30 games after his injury was revealed to have come from a moped accident. The constant injuries was making Don Nelson’s head spin with the constant changes to the main lineup. A change was needed, and a change was granted! From the guidance that he received from both Dell and LeBron, Stephen Curry grew, and the Warriors grew with him. By the 2012-13 season, the Warriors bad run seemed to behind them, as they made the playoffs over the next seven consecutive years. With Klay Thompson and Draymond Green by his side, along with Steve Kerr as head coach, Curry went on to win four NBA championships, five division titles, six conference titles, and set several records. A decade and a half later, Stephen Curry has not forgotten the role that LeBron James played during his rookie season. This is why even as rivals, he maintains a healthy relationship with the player.
How does Stephen Curry define his and LeBron James’s relationship?
LeBron James and Stephen Curry have met in the finals on four separate occasions. This could have been the perfect setting for old bonds to be forgotten, since no competition is more extreme than one fought at the Finals stage. Despite this, Curry never failed to not hold a positive attitude towards his rival.
When discussing the Finals series and his clashes with LeBron in an interview with The Athletic reporter Joe Vardon, Curry stated “It was like a healthy resentment of somebody that’s standing in your way. But through it all, like there’s obviously the utmost respect for who he is as a person and a player and like how good he is and the challenge of trying to beat him and trying to solve that problem every year.”
From seeking guidance from LeBron to going toe-to-toe in the finals, Stephen Curry has certainly come a long way. Having recently won a gold medal together at the Paris Olympics, the bond between the two veterans would now be stronger than ever.