LAS VEGAS — Nearly 10 years after Kevin Durant made his famous “if you can’t beat them, join them” leap to the Golden State Warriors, LeBron James is weighing a move that would invite obvious comparisons.
Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP during the first of Golden State’s three championship-series victories over James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, believes James’ reported interest in the Warriors says plenty about Stephen Curry’s stature.
“As I’ve been saying since 2013, Steph Curry, no one understands how great he is,” Iguodala told ESPN on Friday following the National Basketball Players Association news conference announcing its executive leadership transition.
Iguodala, who is set to be replaced as NBPA executive director by former Warriors chief legal officer David Kelly, said a recent text conversation with a friend helped put James’ interest in Golden State into perspective.
Editor’s Picks
1 Related
“He’s like, ‘Steph Curry, if he’s going to get another one of the greatest players of their generation to play on his team, what does it say about him?’” Iguodala said.
Still, Durant’s 2016 move and James’ current situation are far from identical. Durant was 27 then, still chasing his first championship and only months removed from Oklahoma City’s blown 3-1 playoff lead against a 73-win Warriors team.
James is now 41. His most recent postseason meeting with Golden State came in 2023, when his Lakers eliminated Curry’s Warriors 4-2 in the Western Conference semifinals. The Warriors finished 37-45 last season and did not advance beyond the play-in tournament.
The constant is Curry, who averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds and was an All-Star this past season.
“We have to look back like, ‘Whoa,'” Iguodala said of his former teammate. “We’ll still see his effect [on the game] 30, 40 years from now. People who never thought of playing in the NBA are trying to get there now because of him. There’s only one LeBron James. A lot of people can have Steph’s stature. So just like you when you have Yao Ming, you got 2 billion more people interested in basketball, you got a bunch of Stephs walking around.
“And there’s some things about him that you can’t get. He’s God-given and gifted, but his stature [is relatable].”
Years after competing fiercely with James on the Finals stage, Iguodala also offered praise for how James is handling his free agency, heading into what will be a record-breaking 24th season.
“He’s very much so deserving of it, and it’s the opportunity or even the thought of it. You can just feel the excitement from the fans,” Iguodala said of James’ free agency frenzy. “One thing I’ve learned in this tenure and working with the league and [commissioner] Adam [Silver], it’s we got to do a better job of driving the positive narratives and the positive narrative is that he’s [still] playing. Considering every time he wakes up, he’s pissing somebody off because he’ll drink red Gatorade as opposed to blue. I think it’s just a great moment for the game.
“It’s just showing our appeal globally when the athlete of our generation, the best player of our generation, is still commanding this level of attention and respect and curiosity. All of those things go into that. And so, the opportunity could be amazing. We all tune in, regardless if we like it or not.”
Iguodala admitted, however, that this view regarding James potentially enhancing Curry’s legacy by choosing Golden State could give the four-time MVP pause about going through with it.
“The competitive nature and how we draw narratives,” Iguodala said, “that narrative, if it gets out before LeBron makes a decision, it could alter the decision, too.”
Narratives aside, it’s a dream basketball scenario that Iguodala is hoping will happen.
“Considering where they’re at in their careers, what they did in Paris,” Iguodala said, referring to them winning a gold medal (with Durant) during the 2024 Olympics. “In my opinion, LeBron James, he might be the smartest basketball player I’ve ever seen. … For him to play with somebody like Steph Curry …
“To see that, even to fathom it, that’s what drives interest and drives the love of the game, of basketball, is the greatness of our players. So, I’m going to be watching. Every game.”
Then he added: “But I’ll watch Steph anyway.”
