Steph Curry: There's 'Appropriate Fear' vs. LeBron James in Lakers-Warriors Games

Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are about to host LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for a Christmas Day matchup.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Malika Andrews asked Curry during an NBA Today interview about having his own era defined by him, James and Kevin Durant, and he provided this response, noting the "appropriate fear" he still has when facing a fellow legend in James after all these years.

"You think about it more the deeper you get into your career because you want to cherish every moment that you have but you're still in that competitive mode that even though there's respect, there's still that appropriate fear," Curry said.

"Like, 'I bring the best out of him, he brings the best out of me.' And I'm sure Christmas Day hopefully will be another episode of that."

Curry and James have faced each other 52 times (including playoffs) as well as four straight times in the NBA Finals from 2015-2018.

James, who turns 40 next Monday, is in his 22nd NBA season. The 36-year-old Curry is in his 16th NBA campaign. James has been a cornerstone of the NBA since the day he arrived on scene. Curry has been one of the primary faces of the NBA since the mid-2010s, when Warriors began their dynasty.

Obviously, the rivalry has changed as time has gone on. It was certainly as its peak in the mid-to-late 2010s, when James' Cleveland Cavaliers and Curry's Warriors faced each other in the NBA Finals four straight years. The heat has cooled down a bit recently, though, and the two were recently seen joining forces in leading Team USA to an undefeated record and a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

When Andrews asked about how his rivalry with James has evolved, he had this to say:

"It's a fun battle because of the longevity of how long we've been doing this. There's more appreciation and respect than probably back in the day. There was a lot of pettiness and resentment, you know, the rivalry was real. But you know, it evolves and you still want to go at each other, but the respect is there.

"Couple more grays, couple more kids," Curry added.

One can assume the spirited and respectful rivalry won't go on too much longer. James has made clear that he's not going to play much longer, saying this on Nov. 14, per Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.

"It's the mind," James said. "Wherever my mind is, is how the rest of my body is going to go, whatever the case may be. I'm not going to play that much longer, to be completely honest. One year, two years, whatever the case may be. I said the other night that I'm not playing until the wheels fall off. I'm not.

"I'm not going to be that guy. I'm not going to be the guy disrespecting the game because I just want to be out on the floor."

For now, though, fans can still appreciate another matchup between James and Curry. It'll be the crown jewel of the NBA's annual five-game Christmas Day slate, with tipoff set for 8 p.m. ET in San Francisco's Chase Center.