Basketball fans were treated to something special during the Summer Olympics in 2024: Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James all played on the same team. The trio was instrumental in the United States winning a gold medal in the men’s competition, and even beyond that, just seeing all three of them suit up alongside one another was a joy to watch.
No three players have come to define this era of basketball like Curry, Durant, and James, all of whom should head to Springfield the day after they announce their retirements from the NBA. And on Wednesday, the NBA treated fans to something special: A sit down conversation with the three legends of the game. It touched on a lot, but at one point (the 16:03 mark of the video at the top of this post), the trio were asked about continuing to play at a high level and not wanting to give up the torch to the next generation of players yet. James was quick to say it’s not about a desire to never pass that torch, but instead, they’re just committed to doing their craft at the highest level.
“We’re just naturally born hoopers who love the game and refuse to cheat the game while we’re playing,” James said, before pointing out some of the younger players that all three of them respect and want to see do great things when their time in the league comes to an end.
Curry then looked back on his conversations with guys like Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, and his father, Dell, about how guys want to leave the league in a better place than how they found it. He also cited the relationship that Durant has with Anthony Edwards, the latter of whom has never been shy about admitting that Durant is his favorite player, then mentioned that there’s a balance between keeping themselves at a high level, knowing that there’s young talent that has caused the league to evolve since their runs to the NBA Finals, and keeping the perspective that their careers will end sooner rather than later.
“It just reminds you that this is not gonna be around forever, and to enjoy every minute of it,” Curry said. “Cause, soon we’re gonna be — we’re not gonna be the bitter old heads, can we all agree on that? We’re not gonna be the bitter old heads that come back hating on the younger generation. But, definitely an appreciation and admiration for what they’re able to do, too.”
The whole conversation is, as you can guess, pretty incredible, but hearing them talk about leaving the league in a great place when they retire and the pride they have in some of the up-and-coming stars in the NBA really is special. Anyway, here’s hoping we can get all three of them a podcast or something at some point down the road.
