FIRST Take star Chris « Mad Dog » Russo has said « there’s no way » that Steph Curry has been better than LeBron James over the last decade.
Curry, 34, and James, 38, have dominated the NBA since the early 2010s, sharing eight of the last 11 championships between them.
James won the NBA title with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020.
Curry hoisted the Larry O’Brien trophy with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022.
And both have won the MVP award twice during that time — although the Lakers All-Star also received the honor in back-to-back seasons before joining the Heat in 2010.
But even though they have comparable resumes, it’s James — not Curry — who’s been in the GOAT conversation, with many giving him the nod over Michael Jordan.
Meanwhile, the Warriors star has had a huge impact on the game of basketball, ushering in the three-point revolution as part of Golden State’s dynasty.
And he has beaten James in three of the four NBA Finals in which they met.
On Thursday, ESPN pundit and former NBA player Jay Williams used those arguments to make a case for Curry as the league’s best player of the last decade.
But Russo strongly disagreed.
.@MadDogUnleashed is NOT buying that Steph Curry has been the NBA MVP over the past decade 👀
« There’s no way that Curry is better than LeBron the last 10 years. » pic.twitter.com/8awAhjRdsN
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 19, 2023
« There’s no way that Curry is better than LeBron in the last 10 years, » he said.
Russo pointed out that, although Curry has three NBA Finals triumphs over James, he did so with Kevin Durant by his side on two occasions — which wasn’t a « fair fight. »
And the one time James faced the Warriors with a healthy Kyrie Irving on the court, he inspired his Cavaliers to come back from 3-1 down and win the 2016 Finals after a stunning seven-game series.
Also, Mad Dog emphasized the Lakers forward’s versatility on both ends of the floor.
James is about to add another accomplishment to his extensive resume that will give him an edge over Curry.
The Lakers forward will soon break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s elusive scoring record, becoming the greatest scorer of all time.
