"If LeBron wants to" - Nick Wright hints at LeBron James & Steph Curry's camaraderie on Team USA foreshadowing NBA team-up
Nick Wright has predicted a LeBron James - Stephen Curry team-up after looking at the Akron duo's camaraderie on Team USA. Both superstars have been vocal and lavish in their praise of each other, especially Curry, who recently called their equation a "healthy resentment". Meanwhile, James added the "hate between the two" was a media-driven narrative.
Wright, speaking on 'What's Wright? with Nick Wright,' said that their burgeoning friendship on the Team USA Olympics campaign was a hint that they would want to play alongside each other in the same team.
"I am now putting out there that I believe unless LeBron decides, 'I am just tired of playing basketball' and he ends up playing two more years, I think he and Steph [Curry] are going to be teammates one day. I don't know where and I don't know under what circumstances but I think those guys want to play together. And they are about to go through wildly frustrating seasons where both of them are still top 10 players. I don't know if this Olympics season will get them in the same page... again, if LeBron wants to."
James and Curry have shared a longstanding rivalry in the league, and faced off against each other in four consecutive NBA Finals when the former was with the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2015-18. James later headed west as he signed with the LA Lakers in the 2018-19 season.
Wright's speculation comes after the Warriors tried to trade for LeBron James during last season's deadline. Per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Ramona Shelburne, the Warriors called the Lakers at some point before the trade deadline to inquire if James was interested in a trade that would link him with Curry. Neither the 4x NBA champion nor LA was interested.
However, Wright said that things may have changed as the two stars are now in the final stages of their decorated NBA careers, and maybe a team-up that will surely bolster their chances of winning a title is in the offing.
Kevin Durant explains the rivalry-turned-friendship between LeBron James and Steph Curry
Kevin Durant, a 2X NBA champion and Steph Curry's former teammate, has spent enough time in the league and with both the guard and LeBron James. In an earlier interview, he explained how the rivalry between both players turned into friendship.
“He ain’t young Steph no more, and he’s not the Bron that you were looking up to no more — you become competitors. I think that respect level goes up even more. I think they became better friends now than they were when they went through that experience, competing with one another and being rivals, if you call it that. You could see that, you can see how much they respect one another.”
For now, there is no concrete development on the possibility of the two stars sharing the court as part of the same team. While they may have suited up for the All-Star Games and now the Olympics, only time will tell whether a LeBron James-Steph Curry team-up is on the cards.