LeBron James says Stephen Curry is one of the most influential NBA players ever

LeBron James and Stephen Curry may have been rivals on the court for years now, but that hasn’t prevented them from speaking highly of each other off the court. In fact, the King recently took time to expand on Steph’s importance in the NBA.

In the first episode of his “Mind the Game” podcast with JJ Redick, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar explained how impactful the Golden State Warriors guard has been for the game of basketball.

“When it comes to influence since I’ve been watching the game, the most influence on the game, and obviously we know what Mike did for the game, Steph and Allen Iverson are the two biggest influential guys in our game since I’ve been watching and covering it,” LeBron James said, via ClutchPoints.

Curry has changed the league with his shooting abilities, making the Dubs a powerhouse in the league for the last decade. James pointed out how Steph has inspired the younger generations with his game and surprising road to the top.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry laughing during a game.

“Allen Iverson and Steph, they were just so relatable and kids felt like they could be them,” James said. “They were the guys that were not always counted on, they were small in stature and they just defied the odds. So you got AI who’s like the unbelievable crossover, cornrows, arm sleeve, everyone wears an arm sleeve now because of Allen Iverson. And he’s going in the trenches you know laying it up over bigs, whatever the case may be. Now you have Steph, who’s shooting over the Empire State Building. Those two are the two most influential when you see how they changed the game, and the kids, and like those are two guys that you just wanted to watch every single night.”

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NBA Finals history between James, Curry

James and Curry have a long history of facing each other in NBA Finals, with four straight meetings in the decider between 2015 and 2018. Steph’s Dubs got the upper hand on three occasions, while LeBron’s Cavs emerged victorious in 2016.

The latter was an epic comeback victory for LeBron and company, with Cleveland turning around a 1-3 series to win its first ever NBA championship. But the Warriors were dominant in the other Finals, winning 4-2 in 2015, 4-1 in 2017, and sweeping the Cavaliers 4-0 in 2018.

Teaming up remains a pending task for LeBron and Steph

LeBron and Steph only got to play together in the NBA All-Star game, but have yet to share the court either for Team USA or in the league. Curiously, these stars could have become teammates this season.

One of the most famous news of the season has been the Warriors approaching the Lakers to land James before the February trade deadline, but with no success. Had the deal gone through, fans would have witnessed one of the most powerful duos of all time.