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The Warriors' pitch, if the door cracks open, would be simple. They can clear room for the full $15.1 million nontaxpayer midlevel -- a team-friendly, low-risk bargain with on-court and off-court financial upside. LeBron James is an obvious top free agent target at that price point. The Warriors could theoretically tack on a second season player option and get Stephen Curry in on the recruitment process, if required. But they haven't knocked on that door because they've been given any indication it can be unlocked.
Speaking on FanDuel's Run It Back, Thomas explained why he believes Brunson's championship run stands apart from those of Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry. "Curry did it at 6'3″ more or less shooting, scoring. Brunson and I, we did it, scoring and assisting. That is something totally different," he said. "And that's why it's so unique. Because he can assist. And then he scores. Curry was more just a scorer."
But Warriors guard Seth Curry is confused by the conversation surrounding the Finals MVP in recent years, something he believes saw an uptick beginning in 2015, as he shared on Threads. "I’m seeing a lot of Finals MVP talk. who cares," Curry wrote. "Growing up i never heard anybody talking about finals MVP.. Started around 2015 for some reason."
ESPN Insights: Jalen Brunson is the fourth player listed at 6'2" or shorter to win NBA Finals MVP, joining: 🏀 Stephen Curry (2022) 🏀 Tony Parker (2007) 🏀 Isiah Thomas (1990) Heart over height ❤️
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Alonzo Mourning: Many people are biased because they love the way the game was played back then, but change is good. People need to embrace change. Change is good, and I think one of the biggest catalysts of that change has been Stephen Curry. I think he really revolutionized the game of basketball for us, stretching the court, really opening up the court, and so many teams kind of follow suit with those Golden State Warriors teams. And how well they played in such a long period of time and like I said, Steph Curry was pretty much the catalyst.
NBACentral: Steph is out here enjoying life and rapping Jay-Z on vacation 🤩 (h/t @warriorsworld )
Staying with the Lakers is widely believed to be his preferred choice because he is so entrenched in Los Angeles now after eight seasons with the purple and gold. Yet league sources maintain that Golden State remains legitimately interested in adding LeBron to their Stephen Curry/Jimmy Butler/Draymond Green core coached by Steve Kerr ... with the pitch presumed to include the idea that LeBron could commute from Los Angeles to some TBD degree without having to move his family.
So at the time, there was no player more feared than Curry. And unfortunately for the Cavs, no player on their roster was less equipped to defend him one-on-one than Love. He actually doesn't remember how he managed to stay in front of the Warriors' superstar; it only matters that he did. "I tell people all the time, one, I blacked out," Love said in a talk with his fellow 2016 champion, Richard Jefferson. "You know how many times we actually went over this play? We were switching one through five. Here comes the pin-down action. Switch over on Draymond. Switch on Steph. Then watch. Steph gives up the ball. I'm supposed to deny," he added.
Shams Charania: You think about shoe deals, right? Kevin Durant, LeBron James locked in at Nike. Now Stephen Curry at Li-Ning. Those are really the three faces of this current generation of players. And you think about this next generation of guys, right? And Victor Wembanyama is at the the highest of stages now at the NBA Finals. Sources tell me his shoe deal is actually up in October as well. So, he's going to be a sneaker free agent coming up. And you think about the timing of this, right? He's 22 years old. He's about to be in the Finals. He just won conference finals MVP. He just won defensive player of the year. First unanimous ever. Anthony Edwards, he's locked in at Adidas. He's got a big deal, too. Luka Doncic locked in at Jordan. He's got a big deal. Think about other faces in the league. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, he's got a big deal at Converse. Jayson Tatum, he's also locked in at Jordan Brand. And so when you think all those other young faces are locked in, you have a guy like Victor at Nike. We'll see what happens with his future now on the shoe side.
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In November 2025, Curry and Under Armour ended their partnership that had been ongoing since 2013 – before the future Hall of Fame shooter had achieved any of the honors listed above. “To sign a $400 million plus sneaker deal, allegedly, at 38 years old is unheard of,” Green said. “Which just lets you know the weight that the name Steph Curry carries, which lets you know that the presence that Steph Curry has, who he is, what he is, what he stands for, that they're willing to sign this a 10-year deal.”
Draymond Green: "Li-Ning also plans to build Curry brand stores in the United States and in China. One factor that was key in his decision to go with Li-Ning, they said was the comfort while he was testing the shoes of two of their signature athletes, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade. And I know that to be factual because one and how they treat those guys, because one big thing when Steph signed with Under Armour way back in the day was actually how they treated Kent Bazemore and the sneakers that Kent Bazemore was wearing as Steph tried the sneakers and he saw how they was treating Bazemore. That was one key thing that he saw when he was signing with Under Armour. So I know that this was key in him signing with Li-Ning."
Reporting for Bleacher Report on Tuesday, NBA insider Jake Fischer confirmed growing belief that the Warriors aren't really in the Antetokounmpo sweepstakes anymore while pointing to the 2x MVP's disinterest in landing in the Bay Area. "I'm not looking at Golden State really as a Giannis team either," Fischer said. I have been told that Giannis isn't exactly enamoured with moving to the Western Conference in general, let alone going and being second fiddle to Stephen Curry.
Shams Charania: Landmark: Golden State star Stephen Curry's 10-year endorsement deal with Li-Ning is worth over $400 million, industry sources tell ESPN. Curry had similar financial commitments from other brands, including at least one more lucrative offer, but chose Li-Ning to power Curry Brand.
