“To the king of basketball in North Carolina” - Steph Curry on the message LeBron James wrote on his college jersey during their first meeting, says the jersey still hangs on his parents’ wall to this day

LeBron James called Steph Curry the "king of basketball in North Carolina" when the latter was playing college ball at Davidson. [Photo: NBA.com]

Long before Steph Curry and LeBron James formed their compelling NBA rivalry, the two superstars had a low-key first meeting.

James was already a household name at that time and was already proving why he was dubbed “The Chosen One” of basketball.

Meanwhile, a young, skinny college kid from Davidson was only just starting to scratch the potential of what would become a historic NBA career.

In Draymond Green’s latest podcast, Curry gave an account of what happened when he first met LeBron James for the first time. He said:

“I don’t know if people know this. He gave me a jersey when I was in college at Davidson, and I still have it on the wall at my parents' house back in Charlotte. And he wrote it like, ‘To the king of basketball in North Carolina,’ and signed it and all that."

"I will never be too far removed from where I came from in terms of this journey. So, that’s dope. That’s the surreal part.”

One can almost hear the disbelief in Curry’s voice as he recounted one of the most significant moments of his college basketball career.

For him, it almost seemed like yesterday when he received that signed ball instead of going toe-to-toe against James for the past several years.

March 28, 2008: @StephenCurry30 scores 33 points to lead Davidson over Wisconsin 73-56 in the Sweet 16. @KingJames in attendance. https://t.co/pEMwdJqcci

LeBron James recently caught flak for naming Steph Curry as the player he would most like to play with besides his son, Bronny James.

The Golden State Warriors’ two-time MVP shrugged it off as nothing more than a made-for-fantasy basketball. However, he still finds the moment an out-of-this-world experience.

When pressed by Draymond Green about his real emotions after James’ almost too-good-to-believe comments, Curry carefully worded his answer:

"I’m good right now. You can never let your mind go from what you know is your situation, what is your moment, your time and who I’ve been rocking with from Day 1."

"That’s my best answer out of it cause it’s fantasy, it’s wild, but there’s a respect and appreciation. There’s a surrealness cause of where I came from and how we first interacted back when I was in college. But if this is a 2K, that would be pretty lethal."

Steph Curry is looking at Game 1 of the playoffs as his return date from injury

Steph Curry is on track to get back for Game 1 of the Golden State Warriors vs Denver Nuggets series.

The Golden State Warriors are slated to face reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

Golden State hasn’t been in sizzling form in the last few months due to successive injuries to Draymond Green and Steph Curry.

The good news for Dub Nation is that Green has regained his form, Klay Thompson has found his shooting stroke, and Curry could be back in business.

On the same podcast, Green also wanted to hear about Curry's return. The NBA all-time leading three-point shooter said:

“The goal has always been Game 1, the goal still remains Game 1. Very optimistic that it’ll be Game 1... We ain’t been in the playoffs for two years. It’s kind of weird to think about that."

"I’m so freakin juiced cause I know how much I love that environment, first time in this building, which would be interesting. So I don’t wanna miss none of it.”

.@StephenCurry30 tells @Money23Green that he’s “very optimistic” that he’ll be able to play in Game 1 https://t.co/TiGodNR3O5

A healthy Warriors team will easily be one of the favorites to win the NBA title this season.