The careers of Steph Curry and LeBron James have always been intertwined. Four straight clashes in the NBA Finals will do that.
On Friday, Scottie Pippen, also a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary, brought up a similarity between the two players that doesn't get talked about much when it comes to their longevity in the league.
"You take a guy like Steph, he’s a mini-LeBron to some degree," Pippen said on Sirius XM NBA radio. "From a physicality standpoint, he’s strong for his size. This guy could give us at least another six years easily. He’s a shooter, and he’s the greatest shooter we have ever seen. He could probably play the game into his 50s if he wanted to."
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They are much different players -- Steph, the 6-foot-2 sharpshooter and James, the dominant 6-foot-9 superstar considered by most to be, at worst, the second-best player of all time. But both players are showing no signs of slowing down. Curry, at age 34, is entering his 14th season in the NBA. James, three years older than Curry, will begin his 20th.
"Obviously, he’s the greatest shooter that we’ve ever seen," Pippen said of Curry. "His basketball IQ, his intelligence and what he’s been able to do for small guys in this game, it’s just amazing."
Like everyone around the NBA, Pippen has his eyes on the Kevin Durant trade debacle after the superstar requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets. Pippen can't help but wonder where Curry's legacy would lie without Durant's three years in the Bay.
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"If you take away the years KD came in and sort of stole the spotlight, or shared it, or however you want to look at it, it would be amazing to know where Steph Curry would be had he not bow down and allowed KD to be the leader of that team.
"He's a special player, and I enjoy watching him."