© Getty Images — LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry: NBA Championship Rings

Throughout NBA history, there have been countless players who made headlines and changed the game forever. One of them—considered by many to be the greatest of all time—is none other than LeBron James. At 40 years old, LeBron continues to compete at the highest level, showing no signs of slowing down. He recently renewed his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers to continue his pursuit of more titles in the upcoming season.

Over the course of his career, LeBron has won four NBA championship rings: two with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013, one with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and the most recent with the Lakers in 2020—ironically, against his former team, the Heat. His legacy is already secure, but he’s still chasing greatness before he calls it a career.

Another player who left an unforgettable mark on the NBA is Stephen Curry, the face and absolute symbol of the Golden State Warriors. While some may argue he doesn’t belong in the same conversation as other all-time greats, the truth is that Curry revolutionized the game with his three-point shooting and completely transformed the way modern basketball is played.

LeBron James and Stephen Curry (Getty Images)

With the Warriors, Curry also won four championships: the first came in 2015, followed by two more in 2017 and 2018—all against teams led by LeBron James. In fact, you could say he “stole” the chance for LeBron to win three more rings, as those Finals were against the teams now represented by the Lakers star. Curry’s fourth ring came in 2022, in the Finals against the Boston Celtics.

Curry Responded to Shaquille O’Neal

Beyond the titles and his rivalry with LeBron, Curry has also been the target of criticism for his style of play. One of his critics was Shaquille O’Neal, who claimed that Curry had “ruined basketball” due to the excessive reliance on three-point shooting. Curry addressed this in an interview with Complex.

“What I want is for kids to imagine how far they can stretch their shooting range, how creative they can be on the court, to have confidence—but at the same time, they need to understand I’ve been doing this for a very, very long time. I’ve been fortunate to put in countless hours of work. Even when I got to the league, this wasn’t the strongest part of my game. I had to develop it over time. So I feel zero guilt. Zero,” revealed the Golden State point guard.