LeBron James And Stephen Curry Didn’t Like Each Other During Cavaliers-Warriors Finals Battles: ‘He Disliked Me, I Disliked Him’

February 14, 2025

NBA legends LeBron James and Stephen Curry didn’t like each other during the Cleveland Cavaliers–Golden State Warriors Finals battles.

The Cavaliers and Warriors faced each other in four straight NBA Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

“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,” James 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.”

The Warriors won the 2015, 2017 and 2018 Finals, while the Cavaliers won the 2016 Finals.

LeBron’s Cleveland squad because the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals.

“All you think about is just winning,” Curry said. “So, yeah, it was petty. It was competitive. Trash talking. All the above. [But] 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.”

LeBron and Curry aren’t best friends, but they are closer now.

The NBA icons were teammates last summer on Team USA.

“As we get longer in our careers, then you appreciate what that person was able to do for you,” James said. “Because that person motivated you throughout that whole thing. You sit back like, ‘OK, how many more times do we have to go against each other? To have moments?’ When you look back at it, OK, yes, we always went at each other. We still do now. But you appreciate the moments even more because you know you don’t have many moments left.”

LeBron is the leading scorer in NBA history, while Curry has made the most 3-pointers ever.

LeBron and Curry will be teammates again during All-Star weekend.

The fact that this summer we played together and the whole deal kind of adds a cool storyline [to the All-Star Game],” Curry told ESPN. “It will be fun. All of us are aware you won’t be able to play forever. These opportunities are very precious, from the Olympics to All-Star, it adds other chapters that we never really thought were possible.”