Ex-NBA Player Offers Powerful Analogy for Mavs' Kyrie Irving vs. Warriors' Stephen Curry

Although NBA championships carry a lot of weight when it comes to comparing the all-time greats, they aren't the be-all and end-all of the discussions.

Recently, former NBA player Nick Young caused a massive stir on social media by suggesting that Dallas Mavericks' Kyrie Irving is just as good as Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry. Young used an interesting analogy involving NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant to get his point across.

“[Kyrie Irving] is the [Kobe Bryant] to [Steph Curry’s] [Michael Jordan]. People are scared to say he’s better," Young posted on X .

In the championship department, Curry certainly has the edge on Irving, having won four titles in six tries. Irving has one title in four trips. His lone championship came when he was teammates with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. Irving downed Curry's Warriors with a game-winning 3-pointer in Game 7.

However, when considering the two players' career averages, you can see why some might think Irving is near the same level as Curry despite not having all the accolades. Curry has averaged 24.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor, 42.6 percent from deep, and 91 percent from the free throw line in 956 career games. Irving has averaged 23.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.7 assists while shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, 39.3 percent from deep, and 88.6 percent from the free throw line in 729 career games.

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Given Curry's slightly better averages and the fact that he has three more titles, two league MVPs, and a Finals MVP, it's natural that he would get placed above Irving in the all-time rankings. However, the gap could certainly close over the next few seasons if Irving's Mavs win a championship or two with Curry's former teammate Klay Thompson.

Irving is 32, and Curry is 36, so unless something crazy happens, Father Time is on Irving's side when it comes to making this an even hotter topic before both players' careers end.