NBA superstars Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant appear to be spinning out of gear following early exits from the postseason.
But given what each star accomplished in their respective careers, their basketball legacies are already established. But to ESPN's Stephen A. Smith, Curry is a different player than James or Durant for one clear reason.
While James is often compared and contrasted to Michael Jordan in the never-ending GOAT debate, Smith believes Jordan's accomplishments are actually most comparable to Curry's.
“No player does it alone. Yes, Scottie Pippen, we heard your story. We know you helped Michael Jordan, you're one of the greatest of all time. . But Jordan was on another level,” Smith said on Tuesday's “First.” take. “The will, the defiance involved, and the impact he had on the culture is something we can admire for Michael Jordan. It's not what LeBron James did, it's not what Kevin Durant did. It's not a big deal.
“So, as good as they were as players, LeBron had to go to Miami to win a title. And then LeBron went back to Cleveland and joined Kyrie.” [Irving] Then they acquire Kevin Love from Minnesota to win in Cleveland.And LeBron had to get it. [Anthony Davis] Before winning the title in LA.
“Jordan stayed. Stephen Curry stayed. They built around Jordan, they built around Stephen Curry. That wasn't the case with LeBron and KD. So we looked at those situations. I had to look at it from a different perspective. I had doubts that I could put all of that together into a sentence, but their careers and the paths they took were different. ”
James was drafted by his hometown team in 2003 and played the first seven seasons of his career with the Cavaliers before heading to South Beach and teaming up with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Miami Heat, where he played the first two seasons of his career. He won the NBA championship twice.
After four seasons in Miami, James returned to Cleveland and won another title during the 2015-16 season. Three years later, he was in Los Angeles as a Laker and won his fourth and most recent ring during the shortened 2019-20 season. He hasn't won since.
Durant, on the other hand, was unable to win his first NBA championship until his controversial move to Golden State during his 10th NBA season, where he teamed up with Stephen Curry and the already reigning Warriors' big three. There wasn't.
The following season, he won his second ring and after leaving Golden State and joining the Nets with Kyrie Irving in Brooklyn and the Suns with Devin Booker and Phoenix, he has yet to win a title and come close. I haven't even been able to do that.
And then there's Curry, the only star of the trio remaining on the team that drafted him. His loyalty and perseverance paid off, and former Warriors general manager Bob Myers worked his magic and put the right pieces around Curry to help the team reach his goal in his 8th season. He helped win four championships.
Nevertheless, each basketball icon has made a name for himself as a future Hall of Famer, regardless of their path in the NBA.
However, their legacy and how they are remembered is another story.
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