Within moments of the calendar flipping to July 1, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry became the highest-paid player in NBA history. That distinction comes with a five-year pact worth more than $200 million to stay “home” in Oakland, and Curry was congratulated by the most prominent force in the league in LeBron James.
Congrats @StephenCurry30!! 🙏🏾🙏🏾 https://t.co/hBpxVhAEBQ
— LeBron James (@KingJames) July 1, 2017
It comes as no surprise that James would reach out to Curry in this way, especially given his power within the NBPA in recent years. James has been at the forefront when it comes to the rights of players, and it is in conjunction with that focus that he would congratulate a fellow player for raising the financial bar.
With that said, Curry is on the (very) short list of biggest competitors on the floor for James, which undoubtedly makes this slightly surprising in the minds of some. The two men have had famous battles on the floor, but in a situation like this, it makes sense that players would be rooting for other players to get paid, especially when the two athletes in question occupy a financial stratosphere that 99 percent of the league will never touch.
LeBron James and Stephen Curry will go back to being competitors shortly, but on this night, James was supporting a “coworker” of sorts, and it makes perfect sense.
