Stephen Curry, LeBron James to renew rivalry on opening night of NBA season
Curry and the Golden State Warriors will travel to Los Angeles to play James and the Lakers on the Opening Night (Oct. 21) of the NBA season, a league source confirmed. The Warriors also will host Klay Thompson and the Dallas Mavericks as part of the Christmas Day schedule.
Curry, 37, and James, 40, have engaged in a long-running rivalry, of course, dating to James' days with Cleveland. Their teams met in the NBA Finals in four consecutive seasons, with the Warriors earning the championship in 2015, '17 and '18, and the Cavaliers erasing a 3-1 deficit to win in 2016.
More recently, James and the Lakers beat Golden State in a play-in game in 2021 and in the Western Conference semifinals in 2023.
Last season, the Lakers won three of four games against the Warriors, including a 115-113 victory at Chase Center on Christmas Day. Golden State's win came April 3 in Los Angeles, amid the Warriors' late-season surge into the playoffs. Curry scored 37 points and James had 33 in that contest.
Curry and James also teamed up on the U.S. men's national team in 2024, leading the Americans to the gold medal at the Paris Olympics.
The Warriors have become a Christmas Day fixture in the Curry era — this year's game will mark their 13th consecutive appearance on the holiday.
They're 6–6 in that stretch, dating to 2013.
Dallas offers an intriguing opponent beyond the presence of Thompson, the longtime Warriors guard. The Mavericks also feature former Lakers center Anthony Davis and No. 1 overall draft pick Cooper Flagg, last season's national college player of the year at Duke.
The rest of the Christmas Day schedule, according to ESPN's Shams Charania: Cavaliers at Knicks, Spurs at Thunder, Rockets at Lakers and Timberwolves at Nuggets.
Golden State's opening-night appearance Oct. 21 will be the nightcap of a doubleheader on NBC. The first game will showcase Kevin Durant and Houston going to Oklahoma City to play the reigning champion Thunder, per Charania.
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