Despite the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers routinely falling short of championship contender status in recent years, much attention has been given to whether LeBron James and Steph Curry are still good enough to win championships.
Charles Barkley considers it a damfool debate. Both sides just "stink."
Chuck sounds off
The recent media swirl has featured a ton of James and Curry, and for good reason. Both four-time NBA champions, just last month, one walked away with an Olympic MVP in his hands. The other sank an off-balance shot for the ages, later dubbed the "Golden Dagger," to deliver a gold medal.
The superstar pair, despite several signs indicating that their basketball primes are over, just achieved something that they hadn't before—winning a gold medal as teammates. They have seen and won it all in their careers—MVPs, titles, Finals MVPs, scoring titles, and each holding a hallowed individual record (James: all-time points; Curry: all-time 3-pointers) that may stand the test of time.
For others, like Barkley, their shiny resumes aren't enough to keep them, especially their teams at the epicenter of the NBA world — even if both are producing well past age 35.
"I went off on the news media last year, mainly a lot of those clowns on ESPN," bristles an agitated Chuck. "Every day for like three months [people asked] are the Lakers and the Warriors contenders? I'm like, 'Yo, man, I told y'all six months ago the Lakers stink; the Warriors stink.'
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No longer relevant
According to Forbes, the Golden State Warriors are the NBA's most valuable franchise at $7.7 billion. At $6.4 billion, the Lakers are No. 3. A season ago, Steph and LeBron were No. 1 and No. 2 in jersey sales, respectively. The Warriors-Lakers clash in January, a nationally televised game on ABC, pulled in a record 3.9 million viewers, the most for a regular-season game in four years.
Nine months earlier, when James and Curry met in the postseason for the first time since 2018, Game 1 of Golden State-L.A. drew an eye-popping 7.4 million viewers, the largest cable audience for an early-round series in NBA history. For most, that would qualify both franchises as relevant. For Barkley, the Lakers and Warriors are no longer "relevant."
"I told you the Lakers stink; the Warriors stink. Right now, they are not relevant — either one of those teams — going into the [2024-25] season," Barkley stated.
Perhaps Charles' definition of "relevant" has more to do with being firmly positioned to compete for an NBA title, which neither Golden State nor L.A. is—as currently constructed—entering the upcoming season.
While Curry and Co. lost one of the greatest shooters ever, Klay Thompson , back in July, they've since added Buddy Hield and Kyle Anderson, two experienced playmakers. However, whether they are enough help for No. 30 remains to be seen.
Down south in Los Angeles, the Lakers have had a quiet few months. As the speeding bullet train that is the offseason comes to a close, with training camp commencing later in September, it doesn't look like a notable move will manifest.
Relevance is something that will eternally befit LeBron and Steph and — by default — keep the franchises they represent on the map. As one hits age 40 and the other 37 next season, vintage highlights alone will win over a large fanbase as the world watches what these two timeless superstars have up their sleeves next.
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