Steph Curry: ‘Surreal’ to Play with Lakers’ LeBron James on Team USA for Olympics

Julia StumbaughJuly 8, 2024

Mercedes Oliver/NBAE via Getty Images

Stephen Curry says it is a “surreal” experience to play on the same team as fellow Akron, Ohio native LeBron James.

“To have LeBron as a teammate is surreal, because you have so many battles back and forth, you admire his game, you know what he’s about, and to see the work up close and personal every day, to see how he prepares, how he talks in practice, I’ve never had that vantage point of him,” Curry told Yahoo Sports’ Vincent Goodwill.

“So, just excited to see how our games complement each other, and build that chemistry that’s gonna help lead this team.”

Curry, selected by the Warriors with the No. 7 pick of the 2009 draft, entered the NBA during James’ sixth season in the league.

The Golden State Warriors star said his relationship with James “started out great” during his three NCAA seasons playing for Davidson and his first season in the NBA.

Curry and James then ended up facing one another in four straight NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018.

“That brings out the healthy animosity of somebody standing in your way of a goal, and you know you’re gonna have some bad blood out there,” Curry said. “But through it all, I’m a firm believer, you can be competitive, you can have that killer instinct and see blood on the other side, but still have the utmost respect for who you’re playing against. And that’s the ultimate compliment for a guy like ‘Bron, who’s always pushed the bar higher and higher with everything he’s done.

Curry continued: “We’re still in the same conference, they beat us in the playoffs last year, they’re still that competition, but I can fully enjoy this experience and get to know him at a much deeper level as teammates. And I think that’s what we both deserve, at this stage of our careers.”

Curry and James are joined on the Olympic 5×5 roster by Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum.

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has yet to announce which five of these stars will make up the starting lineup, but it seems likely both Curry and James will get the nod.

Curry, James and the rest of Team USA will open Olympic competition July 28 with a group stage game against Serbia.