Steph Curry sure knows how to get people talking.
The Golden State Warriors star Curry appeared this week in a video feature for BuzzFeed. The highlight of Curry’s appearance was when he was asked to name his all-time NBA starting five. After a bit of deliberation, Curry landed on (in order of position) Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Shaquille O’Neal. Curry also initially picked Larry Bird before recanting and giving the small forward spot to Bryant.
Steph Curry's dream team starting 5. pic.twitter.com/k9RHgQgNJz
— BuzzFeed Celeb (@BuzzFeedCeleb) July 22, 2023
That is a pretty formidable list. But Curry got the Internet buzzing because of who he didn’t pick — Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James.
Curry may have just been going with players who were all from the past. But he did say “past or present” at the start of the clip and even briefly appeared to be considering himself for the point guard position.
James might be Curry’s biggest career rival in the NBA. The two have met in the playoffs a total of five times (including four straight Finals battles from 2015-18). Though Curry and the Warriors were victorious in three of those showdowns, they did suffer a highly embarrassing 3-1 collapse to James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals. Golden State also just lost to James’ Lakers in the Western Conference playoffs this year.
It is safe to say that James and Curry have had a checkered relationship over the years (with both players occasionally taking subtle shots at one another). While we probably shouldn’t read too much into a video of Curry spitballing about NBA history while playing with a bunch of puppies, it would hardly be surprising if his omission of James there was on purpose.
