When Isiah Thomas walked past Michael Jordan during the NBA 75th Anniversary Team Ceremony during the 2022 All-Star weekend, the personnel in the surroundings could almost hear the blood pressure of both legends rising. That’s what a rivalry looks like, even after years of locking in the closet on their playing careers. LeBron James’ rivalry with Stephen Curry was never in the same spectrum but carried the torch of the fighting spirit in the modern NBA. The dislike turned into a bromance as their career progressed, and they detoured from the championship picture that dominated the 2010s.

“There’s more appreciation and respect than probably back in the day because there was a lot of pettiness and resentment,” Curry recalled during his sit-down interview with Malika Andrews before the Christmas Day game between the Lakers and the Warriors. With the two stars again set to overlap in the NBA All-Star weekend, some of that pettiness has resurfaced. With Shaquille O’Neal probably thinking of an outrageous parlay with his TNT mates over the All-Star games, after landing both LeBron and Curry on his team, the last thing he needed was a feeling of descent.

“I mean, s—, when you’re in a dogfight and there’s one guy that’s trying to stop you from reaching your goals, you’re going to dislike that person,” LeBron James recently told ESPN. “He disliked me, I disliked him because we were both fighting for what the f— we wanted, and that’s the Larry O’Brien Trophy.”

LeBron and Curry are currently tied on their NBA championship count, but when the two faced off in the Finals, more often than not, it was Steph prevailing. With a 15-7 record against LeBron in the Finals, Curry has proved himself to be the kryptonite to the Lakers’ superman (Dwight Howard please don’t be mad). When it comes to the All-Star games, Curry and James were on the same team during the 2021, 2022, and 2024 NBA All-Star Games. The veteran stars were All-Star rivals only six times, with both tied at three-a-piece wins. But the fun battles are almost at the swan songs.

LeBron James gets real over the careers and rivalry with Stephen Curry

The goosebumps were palpable when LeBron and Curry roared at each other after the final buzzer on the night of August 10, 2024. The Team USA just won the gold medal with LeBron, Curry, and Kevin Durant creating a moment of a lifetime. It was special not only because of its magnitude but also because it might be the last time. And if our fears have any validity, then the final moment will certainly be upon us in a few years.

“There ain’t going to be that many times left,” the Chosen One told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “So you take it all in and you don’t take it for granted. It’s coming to an end soon.”

Over the years, their comparisons have been a thief of joy in their words. The ‘hate’ and the ‘petty’ quarrels will be fondly looked upon once they call it a day or perhaps ‘night night’. That however will never change the fact that “there’s always respect.” “I didn’t like the player. The person’s always great. You just hate when he has a jersey on wearing No. 23,” Curry told Ohm Youngmisuk. That’s the essence of their rivalry, they’ll leave behind for 3 days in the Bay Area until the regular season brings back the ‘love me like you hate me’ relationship.