Stephen Curry says he spotted Bronny James' freak athleticism during a 2009 visit to LeBron's mansion: "Now to see him in the league is crazy"
Bronny James is undoubtedly one of the most scrutinized young players in the NBA today. While the 20-year-old has a lot of work to do even to become a rotation player for the Los Angeles Lakers, that's not why he's involved in so many discussions. It's because he is LeBron James' son.
But before Bronny became the subject of attention, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry knew he would be an exceptional athlete one day. He gleaned all these during his visit to LeBron's mansion in Akron during his rookie campaign during the 2009-10 season.
Hung out with LeBron
It was in late November 2009 when the Warriors visited Cleveland to play LeBron's Cavaliers. Since the two already knew one another, mainly because of Curry's incredible performances at Davidson, some of which King James witnessed with his own eyes, the latter invited him to hang out.
"I called him up like, 'Yo, I'm in Cleveland.' And he's like, 'Come to the crib in Akron,'" Steph narrated on the "360 with Speedy" podcast. "And I was born in Akron, so I was like, 'I'm going to Akron. I'm hanging out with Bron.'"
Upon his arrival, they quickly settled in and began watching various shows on LeBron's TV wall, which featured 16 individual screens. Before long, the King surprised Steph by inviting him to an impromptu bowling match.
However, what struck Steph the most was seeing LeBron's two sons there: Bronny and Bryce. Bron's oldest son, in particular, caught him by surprise.
"I remember how athletic Bronny looked. He maybe couldn't have been more than three or four and how fast he ran across. Like, he going somewhere!" Steph recalled.
Steph and Bronny have come full circle. Bronny is now playing in the same league that his father and Steph have shaped with their presence.
"Now to see him in the league is crazy," he added. "But it was just cool to chill and kick it on the road and have a good time."Steph and LeBron go way back
Over the past decade, the battles between Steph Curry and LeBron James have defined the NBA. Whether it was in the NBA Finals, the regular season, or even the All-Star Game, every match is must-see. However, the two megastars go way back to Curry's NCAA days. Their first interaction occurred in December 2008, when LeBron's Cavs visited Charlotte to face the Bobcats.
With that game being held at night, he sat courtside for Steph's early afternoon game against the NC State Wolfpack. Steph didn't disappoint as he put up 44 points in a 72-67 win for Davidson. That's when he first met LeBron.
"I came back to the game that night, and after the game, he came out the locker room with a jersey. It's like, 'The King of Basketball — North Carolina.' Signed it. And I had it on my wall the rest of college," Curry shared.
While Steph's rivalry with LeBron is the narrative that is incessantly pushed, many aren't aware that their roots run deep. So deep that Curry recognized that Bronny had a chance to become a pro athlete long before he could hoop.This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 25, 2025, where it first appeared.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 minutes ago
- Yahoo
The De'Aaron Fox extension: Is San Antonio's deal with the dynamic point guard as bonkers as it seems?
The San Antonio Spurs have given De'Aaron Fox a full max extension, totaling four years and $229 million, underlining their belief that the point guard will be able to return to All-NBA form, while functioning as the secondary star next to Victor Wembanyama. Let's talk about it. The glass half empty perspective Even through the biggest lens of optimism, this extension comes with risk. Fox isn't a natural long-range shooter whatsoever, and that's a not insignificant shortcoming in 2025, especially when the Spurs in particular need to optimize the spacing around Wembanyama. Furthermore, Fox at 30% of the cap could see his trade value decline in this new era of aprons, where every dollar is squeezed to its full potential, as to avoid being put in financial handcuffs. There's also the element of age. Fox is 27, a full six years older than Wembanyama, which means their long-term future as a duo could get, well, a bit messed up. In Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo spent years being surrounded by older players, in form of Khris Middleton, and Brook Lopez, who eventually aged out and became less effective, leaving the Bucks in a situation where they couldn't replace them, seeing as money were tied up on them, and their trade values diminishing by the year. Fox still has some years left before the Spurs have to worry about that, but it's worth remembering the Bucks example, just for future reference. The glass half full perspective While there should be some long-term concerns, from a roster flexibility perspective, with Fox's extension, it's crucial to remember that he's one of the most explosive and dynamic point guards in the NBA. He's a career 21.5-point scorer, an athletic blur, and his defensive capabilities were generally underplayed due to the fact that he played in Sacramento for almost eight years. Fox is also a real point guard, in the sense that he can set the table, run the show, defer when necessary, get certain players involved when they haven't seen the ball for five possessions in a row, and he's by all accounts an exceptional locker room presence who has historically been a tremendous communicator. Not only will those leadership abilities help the Spurs on the floor, but they will also provide recent lottery pick, Dylan Harper, with a world of insight into what it takes to be a natural floor leader. Finally, the presence of Fox does provide the Spurs with a high baseline of talent, as they can stagger him and Wembanyama, to make sure there's an All-Star caliber player on the floor at every possible moment. The broader perspective All in all, it's fair to not like this contract, just as it's fair to love it. Essentially, it comes down to how much you value financial flexibility, and whether you think Fox is a player worthy of such a commitment. There is a difference between superstars and fringe All-Stars, of which Fox belongs in the latter category with his just one nod, and most teams are keenly aware that paying top dollar for the non-superstar can prove problematic. It's also worth considering that the Spurs will also have to hand Wembanyama an extension after the conclusion of next season, one which triggers in 2027. So, perhaps then, there is a plan in place to utilize the $24 million spent on backup centers this offseason, not to mention Keldon Johnson's modest salary of $17.5 million, to make a play for something larger as the team nears the trade deadline. The Fox extension could also be viewed as insurance, should outside teams eventually be willing to fork over assets for him, and view the fact that he's on the books for so long as an asset in its own right. Regardless, fairly or unfairly, expectations now lie on Fox to live up to this deal, and to prove he is the guy to help the Spurs level up.
Gizmodo
4 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
‘The Long Walk' Wanted Mark Hamill for His ‘Star Wars' Sequels Performance
Mark Hamill hasn't been shy about discussing his, shall we say, dislike of Luke Skywalker's arc in the Star Wars sequel trilogy, specifically in the movie where the character has the most prominence: The Last Jedi. He's all but closed the door on ever returning to his most famous character, but the prolific actor has kept extremely busy with other roles, including two Mike Flanagan projects, The Fall of the House of Usher and Life of Chuck. He's also in The Long Walk, one of the few Stephen King adaptations these days that doesn't involve Flanagan, and it turns out his latter-day Luke performances helped suggest him for the part. In The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games) and scripted by JT Mollner (Strange Darling), Hamill plays the Major, who oversees the title event—in which young men march and march until they win or die—with a cruel, ruthless hand. 'There are people we could have gone for who are clearly Major material,' Mollner told Collider about Hamill's casting. 'But in the newer Star Wars movies, there's a weariness to aging Luke Skywalker that I really wanted for the Major. And Mark conjured that in a powerful way.' Weariness comes with aging, inevitably, but in Luke's case, that's also wrapped up in self-loathing and deep regrets, which makes what's lurking beneath that gruff shell all the more fascinating when it starts to crack. In other words, Hamill is outstanding at portraying simultaneous layers of anger—a quality that seemingly made him a good fit, albeit in a totally different context, for The Long Walk. The Long Walk also stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, and more. It hits theaters September 12.
Associated Press
5 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Seattle Storm acquire All-Star guard Brittney Sykes in trade with Washington Mystics
SEATTLE (AP) — The Seattle Storm acquired All-Star guard Brittney Sykes from the Washington Mystics on Tuesday for Alysha Clark, Zia Cooke and a first-round pick in the 2026 draft. Sykes averaged 15.4 points, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals for the Mystics this season to earn her first All-Star selection. She'll join a strong lineup that features Skylar Diggins, Nneka Ogwumike, Gabby Williams and Ezi Magbegor. Seattle (16-13) is currently in sixth place in the standings. Clark has played more than 300 games for the Storm in two stints with the team and helped the franchise win two WNBA championships in 2018 and 2020. This season she's averaging just 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds. Clark has been impactful off the court over the years in the city starting the organization's annual toy drive benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital. Cooke averaged just over 10 minutes a game this season and has shot a career-best 38.2% from behind the 3-point arc. She was the No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft by Los Angeles. She spent two seasons there before coming to Seattle. Washington (13-15) is a game out of the playoffs at the moment. The league's trade deadline is Thursday. ___ AP WNBA:
