Stephen Curry Dethrones LeBron James as Face of the NBA
After a great clash in the 2015 NBA Finals, Stephen Curry asserted himself as the true king over LeBron James.
The 2015 league MVP and point guard for the Golden State Warriors surpassed James for the most popular jersey according to ESPN. This new ranking is based on sales on NBAStore.com from April through June.
Aside from Curry, Comcast Sports Net Bay Area also reported that Klay Thompson ranks fifth while Draymond Green came in at 15 overall. Now the Golden State Warriors are the undisputed most popular team in the league. Yes, that is specifically for merchandise sales during the playoffs, but nobody can deny the storm that Curry and the Warriors created this season.
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This year, Curry lead the Warriors to 67 regular season wins, he earned league MVP honors, he won the three-point contest, and he was an All-Star. Most importantly, Curry helped the Warriors win their first NBA Finals Championship in 40 years.
Did LeBron James win it all on his first trip to the Finals? Nope.
Yeah, he won two out of four NBA Finals with the Miami Heat, but he faltered on both of his trips to the top with the Cleveland Cavaliers. I don’t know about the Cavs’ fans, but that would put a horrible taste in my mouth. How could one of the greatest basketball players on Earth not win a championship in two trips when Curry did it in one?
The answer to that question has quite a few parts: LeBron James isn’t a good teammate, he lacks humility, he is a horrible defender, and he is not even close to being the best basketball player in the world.
On the flip side of that, Stephen Curry has proven that he is the new face of the NBA. Curry is certainly a top offensive player and the best shooter ever with his all-time record for most threes made in a regular season and postseason. However, there are some things about Curry that aren’t talked about as much as they should be, and the following are the exact reasons why Curry is far greater than James.
In regards to offense, Curry is a fantastic ball handler. Did you ever watch the dribbling drill he does with two basketballs before each game? It’s an incredible sight. Game after game, he utilized that skill with his agility to make players like Chris Paul and Matthew Dellavedova look like the mediocre players they really are. The Warriors lead the league in assists per game this season, and Curry was definitely a huge part of that.
Curry is also a wizard on the defensive side of the court. Throughout the championship campaign, he would come up with the most sudden and ridiculous steals. Sure, he doesn’t have the size and height to stop an assertive slam dunk by James, but Curry has the quickness to swipe the ball from opponents’ hands as if he’s a flash of lightning.
Perhaps that’s one reason why the word “charged” is printed on each of Curry’s signature Under Armour basketball shoes.
Unlike James, Curry improves the play of each teammate around him. Curry spreads the floor and uses his great patience to find open lanes to the basket.
Watching the 2015 NBA Finals was a thing of beauty because fans were treated with some of the best team efforts. Nobody on the Warriors would simply stand around and watch Curry explode for layups and dagger three-pointers. Everybody would move around, set up screens, and give each player a chance to contribute. This all started with Curry’s humility that makes him the opposite of the ball hog named LeBron.
Yeah sure, LeBron had lots of triple doubles in the Finals, but he didn’t facilitate solid team play when it mattered the most. During critical moments in the Finals, James would turn into a lazy bum on defense. He’d let Curry have an easy run to the basket, and he’d invite Andre Iguodala to crush some killer dunks.
It was straight up embarrassing to watch some of the Cavaliers’ offensive possessions as well. James would give a halfhearted attempt to shake defenders while the rest of the Cavaliers would stand like bozos watching him.
Stephen Curry displays so many things that LeBron James fails to provide. If I was a Cavaliers fan, I would be more likely to burn a James jersey now than after he left town for Miami.
James is a waste of talent because he seems to only care about his own success. It was clear by his lack of heart in the Finals that he only wants rings for himself and not the team.
Sure LeBron, you can have your two rings and multiple MVP awards, but Curry has risen above you as the face of the NBA. Curry provides such a positive image of humility, respect, and team loyalty that James never had. There is a reason why Curry has gotten so many endoresement deals this year along with recent top jersey sales. People love Stephen Curry because he is the hero that the NBA needs. LeBron James doesn’t hold a candle to what Curry means for basketball.
James can bow down to the rightful crown bearer: King Curry.