LeBron James shares Instagram story praising Steph Curry’s run in NCAA Tournament: All you need to know
Fifteen years ago today, LeBron sat courtside to watch Steph Curry at the NCAA Tournament. Curry put on a performance for the ages. He scored 33 points to lead Davidson College into the Elite Eight. James was completely in awe of the young guard's talent.
The performance came during Curry's sophomore season with Davidson, where he averaged 25.9 points in 36 games. When it came time for March Madness, Davidson went on a historic run that saw it upset three teams.
With wins over Gonzaga, Georgetown and Wisconsin, Davidson reached the Elite Eight. Curry scored more than 40 points in each of those three wins. Instead of declaring for the NBA draft, Curry returned to Davidson for his senior year.
On the anniversary of Curry's performance, LeBron James reflected on the situation on his Instagram story, saying: "Knew he was special!!"
LeBron James in awe of Steph Curry's performance in the 2008 NCAA March Madness Tournament
This isn't the first time that James has given Curry credit for his impressive run in the 2008 NCAA tournament. Back in 2019, he replied to a tweet from Slam Magazine that showed highlights of Curry's legendary performance.
Wasn’t some kid to me! I knew he was SPECIAL that’s why I went to see it up close and personal! twitter.com/SLAMonline/sta…
Curry was named the most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Region after leading Davidson, a No. 10 seed, to the Elite Eight as a sophomore. The Wildcats lost to the No.1 seed and eventual national champion Kansas 59-57 in the first round despite Curry's 25-point performance.
Despite Curry leading the nation in scoring and being a first-team All-American as a junior, Davidson missed the NCAA Tournament and played in the NIT instead. Curry, who finished as the leading scorer in Southern Conference history with 2,635 points, declared for the 2009 NBA draft and was selected seventh by the Golden State Warriors.
Below you can see highlights from Curry's 2008 March Madness run.
LeBron James and Steph Curry's NBA rivalry
Although LeBron James and Steph Curry respect one another, they have a developed quite a rivalry during their time in the NBA. Most notably, they faced each other for four straight years in the NBA Finals from 2015-2018.
The first time the two met in the Finals, it was Curry and the Warriors who won the championship, closing the series out in six games. The following year, James famously got his revenge when the Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 series deficit to snap Cleveland's championship drought.
Curry and the Warriors won back-to-back titles after beating James and the Cavaliers in 2017 and 2018.