The 2024 Summer Olympics will be remembered in basketball circles as the moment in time when Stephen Curry and LeBron James went from rivals to teammates. The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers stars put their competitive history aside and shared the spotlight in a truly glorious manner.
With the basketball world abuzz, it should come as no surprise that the players around the Association are having the same thought as the rest of us: What if they were teammates in the NBA?
Curry and James are the preeminent stars of their generation, with accolades and championships to show for that bold claim. They've won a combined eight NBA championships, six MVP awards, three scoring titles, and have both been named All-NBA in every season since 2014-15—with James adding another 10 before that campaign.
Lakers big man Christian Wood took to X to pose the idea that has been swirling around every head in the basketball realm: Curry and James should try to win an NBA championship as teammates.
Bron and Steph should team up for the culture lol ..
— 35 (@Chriswood_5) August 11, 2024
It's a highly unlikely scenario, but as Curry and James prepare to put a bow on their legendary NBA careers, it would certainly qualify as a remarkable way to go out.
Christian Wood wants LeBron James, Stephen Curry to become NBA teammates
Curry and James have been star players on six of the past 10 NBA championship teams. Even when they aren't winning titles, their impact is being felt on the court as they continue to defy Father Time and play at a superstar level deep into their 30s.
Considering James will turn 40 this December, and Curry will be 37 by the end of the 2024-25 regular season, however, fans are begrudgingly beginning to accept that the end could be near.
It's rare that a player is still active this deep into their 30s, let alone still playing at the levels Curry and James have maintained. They haven't shown too many signs of slowing down, however, as they continue to be All-NBA players posting otherworldly statistics and dominating fourth quarters.
That could be the key to the dream scenario of Curry and James one day becoming teammates, no matter how unrealistic it may seem.
Curry told Marc Spears of Andscape that he wants to retire with the Warriors, but also doesn't want to play for a bottom-feeder. He doesn't envision Golden State becoming that type of team, but it opens the door for endless speculation.
In the scenario that the Warriors commit to a full-on rebuild or simply fail to surround Curry with an ideal supporting cast, perhaps the Lakers' dream could become a reality.
The other part of that equation is the fact that James is preparing for the unique opportunity to play with his son, Bronny James, in 2024-25. The younger James recently signed a four-year contract with Los Angeles and it's conceivable that the four-time MVP will want to play as many seasons as possible with his son.
There's absolutely nothing to latch onto as far as concrete rumors of a Curry and James team-up are concerned, but one can't help but wonder what a Lakers team with them on the roster would look like.
Wood is putting it out there in hopes of manifesting that legendary duo wearing purple and gold.