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Two All-Time Greats. Two All-Time Rivals. Two Legends In Their Twilight. But who goes over whom?
The fact that we’re even still having this conversation with both players over 35 and LeBron over 40 is stunning. We just haven’t seen this level of sustained excellence into their late 30’s and early 40’s since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Steph Curry and LeBron James both defined the 2010’s, and yet here they are, still competing at the top in the mid-2020’s.
But for the NBA99, you can’t give LeBron extra props for his age. We’re not grading on a curve. And as great as James has been at time, the reality is that Father Time has tugged on his cape a few times this season.
There have been long stretches during which James has struggled in all phases, and there have been a few moments when it looked like his double-digit scoring streak might be in doubt.
This is the second time in four years that the Lakers have actually been outscored with James on the floor. (The other season was the 2021-22 season where he played just 56 games.)
The Lakers lost LeBron’s minutes by 54 points this season. They were better without him on the court. That doesn’t have to reflect his play, but it proves that his play no longer transcends what other factors might slow him down.
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Steph Curry has the edge on LeBron James right now
Curry meanwhile? Just keeps on trucking. Yes, there are a few more down games than last year, and there were a few more down games last year than the year before. But Curry is still dropping 50-point performances. He’s still shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. The Warriors still win his minutes by six points per 100 possessions.
Curry is actually fifth on my fictional MVP ballot. He’s third among players in offensive EPM which measures offensive box score impact on winning. (James was 39th.)
James’ good games are still great. Curry’s great games are still awe-inspiring. James’ bad games have become noticeably awful on both ends. Curry’s bad games feel like blips and outliers.
We tend to marvel at LeBron through the prism of what he’s accomplished. There are so many eras you can think of when you see him. He still throws down hammer dunks in transition like he did with the Cavaliers. (OK, maybe not with as much force.) He still is able to shut down players in isolation at times the way he did with Miami. (OK, maybe not with as much regularity.) He’s still able to control the game with his passing the way he did in Cleveland, and still knocks down gotta-have-em threes just when the Lakers need them most.
But Curry just continues to be a player who, every time he steps on the floor, the opponent spends his minutes panicking. Stay with him with the ball, force him to give it up. Oh, he’s cutting again. Get around that screen he just whipped around at full speed. Get a hand up. Nope, too late, splash.
He’s not the player he was in 2016 or even 2022. There are nights when he just doesn’t have it, and the Warriors look so mortal on those nights. But Curry is still an elite player and one whose impact ripples across the floor to his teammates and strikes fear in the opponent.
James is still a great player you have to reckon with, but not one you have to be truly terrified of anymore. That’s not an insult or sad. The man’s 40. He was a nightmare every night for opposing fans for over two decades. That’s insane. But that’s also not who he is anymore.
LeBron’s still a winning player, and probably All-NBA-worthy. But Stephen Curry has a few more years of taking over games and leaving everyone shocked and awed in his wake.
LeBron is the best 40-year-old to ever play the game. Stephen Curry is in the top five for best 37-year-old to play. That we get to still enjoy them, that age and injury haven’t taken them from us before they are ready to leave is such a gift. Enjoy it. But don’t let nostalgia cloud the present, where Curry has to rank above LeBron. Holding off Father Time still takes its toll.