James Harden Makes His Opinion on Steph Curry Clear Ahead of All-Star Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Cole Sullivan | Last updated Feb 16, 2025 12:11 PM ET

Over the years, James Harden and Stephen Curry have had their fair share of clashes on the court, with both players entering the NBA in the 2009 draft class. Now, at 35 and 36 years old, they are once again All-Stars—and this time, they’ll be teammates for the new four-team tournament-style format introduced by the NBA on Sunday night.

Curry, who has spent his entire 16-year career with the Golden State Warriors, is gearing up for his 11th All-Star appearance. Meanwhile, Harden, also set for his 11th All-Star Game, made his feelings about Curry clear during the media portion on Saturday ahead of the weekend’s festivities.

"We came in the same year, he's changed the game... His aura, obviously, his shooting, his presence." Harden said. "Being in this arena gives me nightmares, because I had to go against them... We literally created teams just to beat the Warriors."

"He changed the game."@JHarden13 has nothing but respect for his OG teammate, @StephenCurry30 pic.twitter.com/IRjq19lN53
— NBA (@NBA) February 15, 2025

Harden and Curry’s rivalry largely traces back to Harden’s time with the Houston Rockets, where he spent nine seasons and established himself as an MVP candidate multiple times, earning the award in 2017.

Despite all of Harden’s individual success, the Rockets never managed to get past the Warriors in the postseason during his time in Houston. They came closest in 2018, holding a 3-2 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. However, after Chris Paul’s injury, the Rockets lost the final two games and ultimately fell short of advancing.

Despite their fierce competition over the years, mutual respect has always been present, and now, they’ll team up on Team Shaq—comprising the “OGs” of the league, also including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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