Why Perk believes it’s clear LeBron is rooting for Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
LeBron James didn’t make an appearance in the NBA postseason this year for just the fourth time of his career, but the Los Angeles Lakers superstar has definitely been watching.
As the Warriors and Boston Celtics get ready for Game 5 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center on Monday, the NBA Today crew talked about the storied relationship between James and Steph Curry.
Former player and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins is convinced he has an idea of who James is rooting for in the Finals.
“One thing we all can see is that we know who Bron is rooting for in these Finals,” Perkins said on the show. “When the Golden State Warriors are playing well, he is really active on social media … when it’s the Boston Celtics, he’s quieter than a church mouse.”
Of course, as a Laker, it’s nearly impossible to root for the green team. The Lakers and Celtics are tied for the most NBA championships with 17 each.
But James and Curry have a history of their own, meeting in the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons during those unforgettable Warriors-Cleveland Cavaliers years that were headlined with Curry vs. James narratives.
While the two were absolute enemies on the court during those times, the stars have the utmost respect for one another.
After Curry dropped 43 points and led the Warriors to a Game 4 victory in Boston, James, and many other current and former NBA players, praised Curry on social media.
James even went so far as to defend Curry on Twitter against the doubters and so-called haters.
Of course, Curry couldn’t see the tweets during the game. But he did notice them afterward.
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“Any player will tell you, when you get respect and praise from your colleagues and guys who have been on this stage and know what it’s about and how hard it is to do what we do, that means the world,” Curry told reporters on Sunday. “You obviously want everybody to appreciate what you do and all that.
“But it hits different when there’s people that you looked up to once upon a time, when they were having their first and second experiences and you’re watching them, like, ‘I wonder what that’s like,’ and then you have some battles. For them to go out of their way and to speak about your impact on the game and all that type of stuff, it means the world, for sure. Because it takes a great to recognize what it takes to do what we do, for sure.”
Game recognizes game.
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