Two players that have been the greatest over the past decade and a half are Stephen Curry and LeBron James, both four-time NBA champions. Curry is the greatest shooter of all time and sits firmly at first all-time in three-pointers made to solidify himself as the greatest marksman in the history of basketball. But even when looking at Curry’s career, the point guard achieved a lot in the game beyond shooting the basketball from deep. Four NBA titles, a Finals MVP award, and two MVPs are the highlights of Steph’s achievements, along with an incredible mark in NBA history with the way the game has changed for good. As a result, many rank Curry as a top 20 player and even in the top 10 considering the way he changed the game. But one name often comes up first when discussing the best player during the 2010s: LeBron James, the game’s all-time leading scorer.
At this moment in time, nobody ranks Stephen Curry ahead of LeBron James on the all-time list. The King has captured four NBA titles and four Finals MVPs, along with four regular season MVPs and the all-time scoring record. James could never shoot like Steph, but he was certainly more successful as an individual. But James is 38 years old, and Curry has a lot more basketball to play in his own career at age 35. As things stand today, LeBron has had a better career than Steph. He has won more Finals MVP awards, more MVP awards and has the all-time scoring record. Surpassing this won’t be easy, but it isn’t impossible. Remember, Curry has the same number of rings and has a better chance of winning another one than James does right now. Not to mention, Steph changed the game when LeBron really hasn’t in terms of playing style.
Could it be possible that Stephen Curry could do enough to surpass LeBron James as a greater all-time player? It is always hard to compare the achievements and awards of any player to LeBron James because he is truly one-of-a-kind and the only player to actually challenge Michael Jordan as the GOAT, although he is still quite far off from GOAT status. At the same time, James still seems to be capable of playing at a high level at 38 years old and could have another few seasons under his belt if he can stay healthy.
No resume is fixed forever, however, and Curry has a chance to achieve some more important accolades to convince the masses that he is indeed a greater player than LeBron. Just as LeBron has to accomplish more to surpass what Michael Jordan did in the NBA, Curry has to achieve a few more things to be on par with LeBron James. Here is what Stephen Curry must win in order to surpass The King, LeBron James, as an all-time greater player.
Achievements That Stephen Curry Needs To Win
Stephen Curry needs a host of achievements if he wishes to surpass what James did in the NBA. As things stand, Steph does not have a shot, but with a few more successful seasons leading to a few more major accolades, Curry could be a better all-time player than The King. Here is what Steph needs to accomplish before doing that.
1 Scoring Title
Capturing a scoring title is never easy because Steph will need to play at least 65 games and put up over 30 PPG in the modern NBA to get it done. Curry’s scoring titles came in 2016 when he posted 30.1 PPG and in 2021 when the player averaged 32.0 PPG, so he has to average at least 32.0 PPG to get it done. Scoring is at an all-time high right now, and look at the scoring leaders this season posting at least 30 PPG: Joel Embiid (33.3 PPG), Luka Doncic (32.9 PPG), Damian Lillard (32.2 PPG), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (31.3 PPG), Giannis Antetokounmpo (31.1 PPG), and Jayson Tatum (30.1 PPG). Curry will need to have a career year next season to actually get it done, no easy feat.
It can never be too far on Stephen Curry to actually go for a scoring title because he is one of the all-time greats when it comes to putting the ball in the basket. Steph might actually take his scoring average to over 30 PPG next season, and as long as he does that, he will be in the running for a scoring title. Having three scoring titles to LeBron’s one means the point guard won’t need the all-time scoring record to prove he is a better offensive player than The King, and that would be hard to deny.
1 MVP Award
LeBron James might be the greatest regular-season performer in NBA history because 4 MVPs come as a result of his ability to impact the game in almost every area. The King holds a career regular-season average of 27.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, and 0.8 BPG over his illustrious 19-season career. James has also captured four MVP Awards as a result of his greatness, two with the Cavaliers and two with the Miami Heat.
Meanwhile, Stephen Curry has two MVPs, including one that was unanimous. Two MVP Awards for a point guard is incredibly impressive, and hardly anyone will dispute that the sharpshooter deserved them fully. By changing the game and kickstarting an incredible Warriors dynasty, Steph only needs 1 more MVP award on his resume to start surpassing LeBron James. Curry desperately needs to win next year’s MVP Award because that will be his best chance, as he has no shot this year.
Steph is 35 years old and is not getting younger, so capturing next year’s award would be a tremendous boost to his legacy. The point guard is averaging 29.4 PPG, 6.2 RPG, and 6.3 APG on 42.5% shooting from three this season; while leading the Warriors to a 39-37 record (#6 in the West). Since Stephen Curry is still posting ridiculous numbers, he has a chance to also be in the MVP race next year and the next two seasons, at least if the Warriors re-group. As long as Curry can hit threes at an elite level, he will be an MVP favorite as long as Golden State wins enough games. His MVP chances might greatly have to do with what the team does next season because changes are absolutely needed, and the team’s cap space situation does bear some interesting questions.
2 NBA Championships
The King won 4 NBA titles with three different franchises: the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Los Angeles Lakers in chronological order. Even if critics will point to the fact that The King needed to join forces with two other superstars in Miami to get over the hump, he still performed when in the brightest moments. Even when playing alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, LeBron James was the best player for the Heat during his four Finals runs with the team. James also won an NBA title with the Cleveland Cavaliers after being down 3-1 in the Finals and won a chip with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2020 season. Everywhere James went, he won an NBA title.
For Stephen Curry to be ranked higher than LeBron, the greatest 3-point shooter ever must capture at least six championships to have ultimate separation from The King. Curry has four rings right now, but two more would bring a solid separation between himself and The King. Even though Curry benefitted from playing with arguably the most talented superteam in NBA history once Kevin Durant joined the Warriors, LeBron did something similar by benefitting from a host of superstar teammates as well. Curry’s championship in the 2022 Finals was huge because he was the best player in the series by far and therefore captured his first Finals MVP award. Some claim Andre Iguodala changed the game in 2015 while Kevin Durant took over the Finals in 2017 and 2018, but there is no doubt Curry was the man last year.
In a nutshell, Curry would need to win one more title to convince the masses that he had more of an impact on great teams than LeBron did. The point guard also never experienced a Finals meltdown like the one James experienced in 2011, so that could always be an argument in his favor. With six NBA titles, there is no way anyone could dispute the number of championships between the two Hall of Famers, even if James came back 3-1 against Curry’s Warriors in 2016. To counter that amazing performance, Curry needs an extra championship and, as a result, two more Finals MVPs.
2 Finals MVP Awards
Stephen Curry needs two titles to surpass LeBron James in the all-time rankings, but he needs to win both Finals MVP awards. The point guard only has one through four title wins, and there was no denying Andre Iguodala or Kevin Durant over the 2015, 2017, and 2018 Finals victories. Curry did a fantastic job in 2022 to win Finals MVP by posting 31.2 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 5.0 APG, and 2.0 SPG on 48.2% FG, 43.7% 3-PT FG, and 85.7% FT.
As great as Curry was in 2022, he needs two more Finals MVP awards to come close to LeBron’s four Finals MVPs. The fact that Steph will have two more NBA titles will counter the fact that he will have one fewer Finals MVP award, and who could argue against six rings and three Finals MVP awards? Curry’s three Finals MVP trophies will rank third all-time behind James’ four and Michael Jordan’s six, so that is nothing to sniff at.
With two Finals MVP awards, Curry’s legacy will be intact. The point guard will have the evidence of being a spectacular Finals performer on three occasions and also the face of a Golden State Warriors franchise that welcomed in other elite stars to play with him. The epitome of unselfishness, Curry would see his stock grow tremendously if he captures two more rings and two more Finals MVP awards.
Stephen Curry Surpasses LeBron James With 6 Titles, 3 Finals MVPs, 3 MVPs, And 3 Scoring Titles
It seems very unlikely that LeBron James will capture his fifth championship before the end of his career. The Los Angeles Lakers are still under .500 right now, and there aren’t many options for The King in terms of making blockbuster trades. Anthony Davis is a unique talent, but his injury history and lack of motivation could put off potential suitors. Besides, Los Angeles would only trade Davis for another superstar of Damian Lillard’s level. But there is almost no chance that the Lakers will manage a deal of that magnitude. Unless James wants to make another major move back to Cleveland, The King will be stuck with four rings.
That means Stephen Curry will have more championships, equal MVPs in weight (a unanimous MVP is the first of its kind and worth two), more scoring titles, and the all-time 3-point record. Most importantly, Steph did not need to leave Golden State once to achieve that. Unlike LeBron, who had to join Miami to taste championship glory, Curry did it his way and with his own team. Many fans and media representatives, especially in the modern-day, might end up placing the legendary point guard ahead of The King as a greater player.
The first category is the scoring title, which would be a tall task, as we discussed. Players are posting at least 30 PPG with ease in the modern NBA, and Curry will need to be on par with those elite stars. Again, he can do it, but it would require a heavy effort that he might not be willing to do at his age. Winning championships is far more important, but it is possible if the Warriors actually field a strong team next year that, Curry won’t have to put in a superhuman effort to win the scoring title.
It would take Steph to be at an unbelievable level to gain the scoring title and the MVP awards, specifically, especially because he has stiff competition for the MVP Award from Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Luka Doncic going forward. Capturing another MVP trophy won’t be easy, especially as Steph ages and has not been healthy. Curry has played at least 60 games only three times over the past six seasons, and at 35 years old, it is likely that number won’t improve. No doubt, winning the MVP award won’t be easy because the Warriors will need to win more games than they did this season.
The championships will be even harder. The Warriors are an excellent team when healthy and a force when clicking on all cylinders, but it is still unlikely that Curry will manage to beat out other top teams (Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns) to win another two chips. The team has been poor from the start of the year until now, and there is more than one reason for that. Golden State is 6th in the West right now and has been inconsistent all year, and with Draymond Green probably out the door next year to a potential rival, things aren’t looking as exciting as before.
LeBron’s place ahead of Curry is secure for the time being, but if Curry can capture the MVP and two championships with two Finals MVPs over the next few seasons, the point guard will surpass The King. If Curry surpasses The King, Stephen Curry could realistically be the second-greatest player of all time with these achievements.
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