Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is competing in the American Century Championship, which will air on NBC and Peacock from July 10-12.
Ahead of the celebrity golf tournament, Curry spoke with the media, who had plenty of questions about the Warriors’ rumored pursuit of LeBron James.
Stephen Curry Reveals His Pitch for LeBron James to Join Warriors
James-to-Golden State rumors have been heating up ever since Draymond Green declined his $27.7 million player option specifically to help give the Warriors more financial freedom to pursue the four-time NBA champion. On Thursday, photos surfaced of James and Green on a golf course in Puerto Rico.
Curry spoke about the Warriors’ chances of landing James and revealed his recruiting pitch to the four-time NBA champion.
“I don’t have a percentage; this is kind of up to him,” Curry said. “I feel like any place he’d call and say, ‘I wanna play there,’ they’d move mountains to make it happen, and I know we’re in that boat as well.
“The pitch is: Do you wanna play good basketball and be around people that know how to play the game? Hopefully raise our floor and our competitiveness this year. There’s good golf in the Bay. But we’re an organization that’s been there, he knows that. And that’s really self-explanatory. It’s just a matter of where he sees himself fitting. And at the end of the day, that’s up to him.”
When asked if he’s contacted James to make his recruiting pitch directly (or has any plans to), Curry smiled and said, “Stay out of my personal business.”
Curry did acknowledge that teaming up with James after their battles in the NBA Finals would be a full-circle moment.
“I mean, up until probably two or three years ago, it was like a pipedream question or thought, but that is a part of the allure,” Curry admitted. “For him, going into his 23rd or 24th, I don’t know, season, and me going to my 18th, the battles that we had, that would be such a unique story in NBA history, sports history. But it’s a little premature right now to talk about it other than that.”
If James doesn’t opt to sign with Golden State, would Curry be content running it back with the Warriors’ current roster?
“I mean, it’s TBD,” Curry admitted. “‘Cause it’s what free agency is about. I know Bron is in a situation where the league is waiting, but other than that, it’s great to get KP (Kristaps Porziņģis) back, it’s great to get Mel (De’Anthony Melton) back. We’re in a very unique situation ’cause Jimmy [Butler]’s hurt, and Moses [Moody] is hurt, and they’re gonna miss a good amount of the season. You gotta try to hold the fort down as much as you can until those guys get back ’cause we do have an idea of who we could be with them. But I know Mike [Dunleavy Jr.], Steve [Kerr], and Joe [Lacob], they’re all doing the best they can to make the right decisions with what’s available.”
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, James has narrowed down his free-agency options to five teams: the Warriors, Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Minnesota Timberwolves. Based on what James’ agent Rich Paul has said, it sounds like James is taking his time and a decision isn’t expected anytime soon.
