Tuesday night is going to be a big one for fans of the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers.
The two teams are set to face off in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.
That means that LeBron James and Stephen Curry, two friends who have battled it out in the postseason multiple times before, are again going toe-to-toe.
On Tuesday morning, Shannon Sharpe compared the two stars and the careers they’ve had.
“They’re both beloved but LeBron is more hated,” Sharpe claimed.
“Steph has never had the expectations that LeBron had,” he said, adding that James has been a household name since he was 17 years old and Curry started as a young, skinny kid who many people counted out.
.@ShannonSharpe says both LeBron & Steph are beloved, but LeBron is more hated: pic.twitter.com/uUYnZ8mC5a
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) May 2, 2023
Sharpe said that no NBA player faces the vitriol that James does.
There is some truth to that: although James is celebrated and beloved by millions, he also receives more hatred than most other players in the league.
He is one of the world’s biggest stars so, therefore, one of the biggest targets as well.
As for Curry, he may have started as an undersized college player with some health issues but he has become a powerhouse player who has quite literally transformed the league in many ways.
He also receives his fair share of disdain from others too.
Both James and Curry receive both positivity and negativity from the fans and that’s all part of the game.
That doesn’t change the fact that are generational talents who have earned a special spot in NBA history.
On Tuesday night, they will start a new chapter in that history and only one of them will come out on top.
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