When LeBron James Made His Way to Stephen Curry’s Sweet Sixteen NCAA Matchup
Before changing the landscape of the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and becoming arguably the most influential player of his generation, Stephen Curry was an undersized shooting guard at Davidson College. However, in 2008, he orchestrated one of the most improbable NCAA Tournament runs, giving the world, and LeBron James, who was in attendance, a taste of his talent.
After two upset wins over Gonzaga and Georgetown, Curry and Davidson were scheduled to face Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin was the heavy favorite and was expected to pull off an easy victory and end Curry and Davidson’s magical run in the tournament. However, the diminutive guard had other ideas.
Curry put on a show, scoring 33 points, two more than the rest of Davidson’s starters combined. James was present at Ford Field that night to witness the spectacle of the future two-time NBA MVP, and according to him, it was no coincidence. In 2019, he revealed on X, formerly Twitter, that he was at Ford Field to see Curry in action because he knew the point guard would become a top-tier player. He wrote,
“He wasn’t a child to me. I knew he was SPECIAL and that’s why I went to see him up close and personal!
While James watched Curry dismantle Wisconsin, he didn’t fly to Detroit to just watch the guard. The Cleveland Cavaliers were in Detroit to face the Pistons on March 29, 2008, a day after Davidson’s win over Wisconsin. The four-time MVP probably wouldn’t have attended the game without that bit of luck. However, as fate would have it, James was present in the right place, at the right time, to witness his future rival deliver one of the most memorable individual performances in NCAA tournament history.
Stephen Curry’s draft stocks after Davidson’s career
After leading Davidson to the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Tournament in 2008, Stephen Curry spent another year in college before declaring for the 2009 NBA draft. Despite his heroics a year earlier, he was not among the best prospects of his draft class.
Bleacher Report Draft Profile He capped Curry’s ceiling as a player with Mike Bibby, a solid role player who carved out a 13-year NBA career. Ironically, the report also suggested that Davidson’s point guard would, at worst, become a role player on a level similar to Steve Kerr.
The Warriors drafted Curry seventh overall and for three years had to wait for him to find his footing. Meanwhile, they added Klay Thompson and Draymond Green to the roster via the draft. In the 2012-13 season, Curry had his first season averaging over 20 points and hasn’t looked back since.
A year later, Kerr, Curry’s worst-case scenario as a player, joined the Warriors as the team’s new head coach. The duo, along with Thompson and Green formed the quartet that won four of the next eight NBA titles and forged the Warriors’ status as a dynasty. Curry earned two MVP awards, ten All-Star nods, and nine All-NBA nods.
Curry surpassed all expectations, as he did in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and achieved enough success to challenge Magic Johnson’s status as the greatest point guard in NBA history. No one imagined the diminutive guard from Davidson College would reach these heights, except maybe LeBron James.
