Stephen Curry vs. LeBron James debate 'annoying' to Curry

ByEthan Sherwood Strauss ESPN logo

Thursday, June 2, 2016

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is the reigning two-time MVP and a reigning NBA champion, but he has no interest in whether he or Cleveland'sLeBron James is considered the "face of the NBA."

"It's really annoying for me," Curry said Wednesday. "That's not what I'm playing for, to be the face of the NBA or to be this or that or to take LeBron's throne or whatever. You know, I'm trying to chase rings, and that's all I'm about. So that's where the conversation stops for me."

With Game 1 of the NBA Finals a day away, Curry further emphasized that his goal is not to surpass James individually.

"I'm not in the business of ranking or debating who is what," Curry said. "At the end of the day it's about winning, and the fact that we won a championship last year and were the last team standing, obviously, is what was most important to me."

Curry's fellow Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, offered a nuanced response to whether Curry is the face of the league.

"I don't think there's just a face in the NBA," Thompson said. "I think there's faces because it's such a star-driven league, and players really make the league because there are so many great athletes."

Thompson did, however, have an idea as to why the casual fan might prefer Curry over James.

"I think it might be easier for the common fan to relate to Steph because it's hard to be 6-8, 260 [pounds] and have a 40-inch vert and be the fastest guy on the floor," Thompson said. "So, I mean, the casual fan might relate better to Steph because he doesn't have that athletic, just God-given ability. It's tough to say. It's just personal preference, honestly."

Curry said he has just one preference, and that's to win his second title.

"Us being back here against the Cavs again, there are obviously storylines and whatnot that as a basketball fan are pretty cool when you have two teams fighting for the same trophy once again and trying to play at a very high level to help our team get there," he said. "At the end of the day, that's all I'm worried about."