James Harden Gets Brutally Honest About Lakers' LeBron James, Steph Curry Iconic Rivalry

Jeremy Hanna | Dec 28, 2024

Aug 10, 2024; Paris, France; United States guard Lebron James (6) and United States shooting guard Stephen Curry (4) in the men's basketball gold medal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images / Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

In the current NBA, it's hard to think of a better individual rivalry than LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry.

The two modern day legends have shaped the NBA as we know it today, and they've done a lot of it against each other.

Curry and the Warriors have defeated James multiple times in the NBA Finals when he was on the Cleveland Cavaliers.

That being said, James willed one of the greatest comebacks in NBA Finals history to defeat Curry and the Warriors four games to three.

The James-Curry rivalry was most recently seen on Christmas Day when the Los Angeles Lakers narrowly defeated the Golden State Warriors 115-113.

In the game, James recorded 31 points, 10 assists, and four rebounds. Meanwhile, Curry had 38 points, six assists, and one rebound.

The game was exactly what every basketball lover wanted: two legends going at it in a narrowly-contested game. This includes James Harden, who pointed out how fans won't get to see these NBA icons play much longer.

“Me and Steph was talking about that after the game as well," Harden said, per Joey Linn of Sports Illustrated. "We love to hoop. It’s just, Father Time is undefeated… I know LeBron probably feel the same way. We love the game of basketball… Now we just got little nagging injuries that when you’re younger you probably just don’t get… It’s weird, but it’s a part of life… "

James Harden on Steph Curry and LeBron James having another iconic Christmas game:

“Me and Steph was talking about that after the game as well. We love to hoop. It’s just, Father Time is undefeated… I know LeBron probably feel the same way. We love the game of basketball… Now… pic.twitter.com/TjoGsa8SqC

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 28, 2024

In the end, Harden just wants basketball fans to enjoy the time they have with their favorite players because James, Curry, and Harden only have a few years left in them at the most.

"I hope fans and people who enjoy and love the game of basketball can embrace and cherish these moments. Because once players like us are gone, we’ll never see them again.”

Harden isn't wrong. Curry has played in the NBA for 16 years while James has played for an astonishing 22 years, meaning there are grown adults who have never seen an NBA without King James.

Even though James and Curry are still playing at an NBA level, there's no doubt that their careers will come to an end in the next few years if not sooner. The best thing for fans to do right now is to enjoy these living legends while they are still playing some of the best basketball in the world.

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