LeBron James remains one of the most popular players in the NBA while Shohei Ohtani is widely considered to be the best player in baseball.

While James is on the downswing of his career, Ohtani is at his peak as he is coming off a historic season where he won his second World Series championship and his fourth MVP award.

When it comes to Ohtani’s greatness, there aren’t that many players that compare though James likened him to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry on the “Mind the Game” pocast:

“Me and a few of our friends we got a group chat and we just talked about Ohtani the other night. And one of our friends he said, ‘If I sent y’all a message and said that a guy struck out 10 batters in the NLCS, you guys would be like oh, that was a hell of a game by that pitcher pitcher, wow. And then if I sent a separate text and said in that same game, another guy came in, had three home runs in that same game.’ He said, no. The same guy did that. He did both of those. So, what makes Steph one of the most dangerous players of all time is the fact that you’re going to get it in so many different ways. I’m gonna come down in semi-transition, if your pick-up point is too low bang. If I come off a high screen pick and roll and your big is not up to touch bang. If you cover me well, I’m gonna get off the ball and I don’t care getting off the ball. A lot of guys will give in to get off the ball because they feel uncomfortable with now moving and losing control.”

Like Ohtani, Curry is must-see TV especially when he has it going from the field. However, Ohtani is a two-way force that shows no signs of slowing down.

While James compared Curry to Ohtani, Magic Johnson believes the Dodgers superstar is also like Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Being compared to both Curry and Bryant goes to show how highly Ohtani is regarded in professional sports.

LeBron James impressed with Lakers’ start and not concerned about his fit

The Lakers managed to go 10-4 before LeBron James returned to the floor and the superstar noted he was impressed with their start. He added he’s not afraid of his fit, and it showed after the team picked up the win in his return.

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Unlike most of the other greats of this generation, however, Curry has not been part of the Nike family. While he began his career under the mega-brand, he would choose to leave them and join Under Armour, becoming the face of that company. But after 13 years, Curry has now chosen to leave Under Armour and continue with his Curry Brand independently.

This means that Curry is now free to wear whatever shoes he wants right now and, like many other players, he seems to be partial to the shoes of Kobe Bryant. According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Curry has reportedly been working out in the Lakers’ legend shoes, and was seen sporting them during his recent pregame warmup in San Antonio:

On Friday in San Antonio, in his first arena appearance since the split with Under Armour was announced, Curry wore black and white Nike sneakers during pregame warmups. The sneakers were the Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita edition.

Curry has been privately working out in Kobe sneakers recently, sources said.

The Kobe 6 shoes have long been among the most popular shoes to wear in-game for NBA players so Curry wearing those for his pregame warmup isn’t much of a surprise. While he did switch to his own shoes for the actual game, Curry did reveal that he wanted to wear those Kobe shoes as a way to honor the Lakers icon and what he meant to the game of basketball.

Whether Curry begins working with Nike again is unknown, but he has made it clear that his mission when creating the Curry Brand five years ago remains unchanged. He is still wearing his own signature shoes during games for now, but many will be paying attention to what is on his feet going forward.

Lakers’ LeBron James, Warriors’ Stephen Curry discuss possibility of playing in 2028 Olympics

In 2024, Stephen Curry teamed with his longtime rival, Lakers superstar LeBron James, on the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team, going on an epic run to bring home the gold medal. But one last team up for for Team USA at the 2028 Olympic games doesn’t seem to be in the cards.

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Those Olympics also marked the first time James and Curry were able to team up in a true competitive environment. The two were always on opposite sides, most notably in four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015-18 and had been the premier rivalry of this generation. The duo paired beautifully together and some may have been hoping to see them team up one last time with the 2028 Olympics taking place in Los Angeles.

However, both shot that down in the latest episode of the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron making it clear that he will not be playing in 2028 while Curry wouldn’t completely rule it out, but called it highly unlikely he will be suiting up for Team USA again:

Who else wants to see @kingjames and @stephencurry30 run it back with Team USA in 2028?

The guys talk all things Olympics and more on a brand new episode. Watch Steph Pt.2 on our YouTube, @primevideo or listen wherever you get your podcasts: https://t.co/FNKFqZjjDu pic.twitter.com/CkdKohno2N

— Mind the Game (@mindthegamepod) November 18, 2025

No one would put anything past James as he has already redefined how good a player can be this late into his career, but playing until 2028 at the age of 44 seems like a stretch even for him. Likewise, Curry would be 40-years-old by the time those Olympics roll around so “highly unlikely” was the proper way of describing his chances of suiting up again.

That being said, the two gave fans across the world an absolutely memorable performance for Team USA in 2024. LeBron won tournament MVP while Curry taking over in those final two games will be etched in the memories of basketball fans everywhere for years to come.

LeBron James discusses sciatica recovery amidst impending return for Lakers

For LeBron James currently, his focus is solely on getting his body right and making his season debut for the Lakers. James has been dealing with sciatica which caused him to miss opening night for the first time in his NBA career and the Lakers superstar admitted it has been tough to be forced to sit out.

“It sucks. It definitely sucks,” he admitted. “Never in my life since I started playing the game of basketball have I ever not started the season, in my life. So it’s been a it’s been a mind test but I’m built for it and it’s been putting in the work, both mentally and physically trying to get myself ready to rejoin the team.”

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Curry originally signed with Under Armour in 2013 after playing the first four seasons of his career as a Nike athlete. In now separating from Under Armour, the Curry Brand is going to move forward independently. Though, plans remain for Under Armour to release the Curry 13 in February 2026.

Now that he’s a proverbial sneaker free agent for the first time in over a decade though, the Warriors star was free to wear whatever he wants and again made headlines on Friday night when he warmed up in the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita Sweet 16 shoes before switching back to his usual ones for the game.

After the Warriors’ comeback win over the San Antonio Spurs in which he scored 49 points, Curry explained that he did that to pay tribute to the Los Angeles Lakers legend, via the NBA’s official X account:

“I think it’s one, I know it’s just weird seeing me in anything else than my own shoes. But just the idea of what he meant. I’ve talked about Kobe a lot, and that specific pair, I think it speaks for itself what it means. And other than that, it’s just something I wanted to take advantage of in that moment and pay tribute. I think it gave me some good energy tonight.”

Bryant and Curry always shared a mutual respect during their battles, so it’s really nice to see the Warriors star pay tribute to the late, great Kobe and his daughter Gianna.

Steph Curry switches out of Kobe 6 protro Mambacita

Before his first game since part ways with Under Armour, Curry chose to wear the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita Sweet 16 during pregame warmups.

Given his previous history with Nike and impact the Los Angeles Lakers legend had on his career, it didn’t come as much of a surprise to see him wearing Kobe’s shoes.

However, Curry did not play his first game after the Under Armour separation in the signature Kobe shoe. Instead, he switched into the Curry 12 “Eat Learn Play” player exclusive come tip off at Frost Bank Center.

Another change came during the game as the guard switched into a blue colorway of his Series 7 shoe. Wearing the shoes he has always worn makes sense, but it will be interesting to see if he plays any games in Kobes moving forward.

The Series 7 by Curry Brand released this past August.

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The decision marked the end of a partnership that began when Curry signed with Under Armour in 2013. That came after playing the first four seasons of his career as a Nike athlete.

When Curry’s shoe contract expired, he took meetings with several of the major brands. That amounted to signing a deal with Under Armour at $4 million per year in addition to plans for a signature shoe line and an opportunity to become the face of the company.

Nike’s offer to keep Curry as part of their NBA roster was $2.5 million and they declined their right to match his contract from Under Armour. The decision has gone down as one of the biggest misfires in Nike’s history, as Curry has gone on to win four championships, two MVP Awards and became the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, among other accolades.

In now separating from Under Armour, the Curry Brand is going to move forward independently. Though, plans remain for Under Armour to release the Curry 13 in February 2026.

New sneaker free agent Steph Curry rocking the Kobe 6 "Mambacita" tonight

(: @NickDePaula) pic.twitter.com/zLVmxCHcM9

— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) November 15, 2025

“Under Armour believed in me early in my career and gave me the space to build something much bigger and more impactful than a shoe. I’ll always be grateful for that,” Curry said in a statement.

“Curry Brand was created to change the game for good and over the past five years, we successfully changed the game for kids, for communities, and for basketball. What Curry Brand stands for, what I stand for and my commitment to that mission will never change, it’s only growing stronger.

“I’m excited for a future that’s focused on aggressive growth with a continued commitment to keep showing up for the next generation.”

Steph Curry switches out of Kobe 6 protro Mambacita

Curry continued to dominate headlines on Friday, his first game as a proverbial sneaker free agent, as he wore the Nike Kobe 6 Protro Mambacita Sweet 16 during pregame warmups.

It didn’t necessarily come as much of a surprise considering Curry’s previous history with Nike, and impact the Los Angeles Lakers legend had on his career. Furthermore, the Kobe 6 is among the most popular sneakers with NBA athletes.

However, Curry did not play his first game after the Under Armour separation in the signature Kobe shoe. Instead, he switched into the Curry 12 “Eat Learn Play” player exclusive come tip off at Frost Bank Center.

Another change came during the game as Curry switched into a blue colorway of his Series 7 shoe.

The Series 7 by Curry Brand released this past August.

“I’ve never worn a shoe that feels this light yet this sturdy, with the perfect balance of court feel and cushioning. Hands down, it’s the best basketball shoe I’ve ever worn,” Curry said of the sneaker.

Curry’s sneaker free agency aside, he put together another impressive performance and finished with 49 points to lead the Warriors to a second consecutive road win over the Spurs, with Friday night’s victory coming as part of NBA Cup play.

Steph Curry wanted to pay tribute to Kobe Bryant

After the Warriors’ win over the Spurs, Curry explained how warming up in Kobe’s shoes was meant to be a tribute to him and his daughter Gianna Bryant.

“I think it’s one, I know it’s just weird seeing me in anything else than my own shoes. But just the idea of what he meant. I’ve talked about Kobe a lot, and that specific pair, I think it speaks for itself what it means. And other than that, it’s just something I wanted to take advantage of in that moment and pay tribute. I think it gave me some good energy tonight.”

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