LeBron James eager to dispel notion about alleged beef with Steph Curry: "Opportunity to be able to have a relationship"

This summer, LeBron James and Steph Curry are among the top NBA stars leading the charge for Team USA in the 2024 Olympics. As the two prepare to pursue a gold medal together, they opened up on their dynamic.

For most of their careers, LeBron and Curry have stood on opposite sides of each other. The Olympics will be a change of pace for them, as it allows them to showcase their high-level play together for once.

During the late 2010s, the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers battled it out in the NBA Finals on multiple occasions. Curry would end up getting the upper hand on LeBron for the most part, minus the historic 3-1 comeback in 2016.

As LeBron James begins this journey as teammates with Curry, he was asked about any possible resentment given their history. He never saw it that way, citing that there is life beyond basketball to think about.

"The game of basketball don't last forever," James said. "You don't want to waste the opportunity to be able to have a relationship with someone."

Now, the longtime rivals will join forces as Team USA looks to bounce back from not winning a medal in the World Cup last summer.

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Steph Curry shares his thoughts on rivalry with LeBron James

Similar to how LeBron James never held strong resentment, Steph Curry felt the same way. He understood that his feelings towards the LA Lakers star were strictly basketball-related.

Curry admitted to having some resentment towards LeBron, but only because he was his top competition at the time. At the end of the day, he still had nothing but respect for his rival.

“It was like a healthy resentment of somebody that’s standing in your way,” Curry said. “But through it all, like there’s obviously the utmost respect for who he is as a person and a player and like how good he is and the challenge of trying to beat him and trying to solve that problem every year.”

Despite being at the tail end of his career, this summer is the first time Curry will be suiting up for Team USA in the Olympics. Prior to this, his only taste of international play was winning a gold medal in the 2010 and 2014 FIBA World Cups.

LeBron James and Curry are just two of the many elite talents who opted to represent the United States in the Olympics. Other notable names include Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum and Anthony Edwards.

Flanked by a plethora of NBA stars, LeBron and Curry are in a prime position to add another gold medal to their already historic resumés.