Steph still has signed jersey LeBron gifted him in 2008

Steph still has signed jersey LeBron gifted him in 2008 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The mutual admiration between Steph Curry and LeBron James runs deep, dating back to the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

James came to watch Curry and his Davidson team play a Sweet 16 matchup against Wisconsin at Ford Field in 2008. In that game, the young guard broke out on the national stage, scoring 33 points as Davidson pulled the upset to advance to the Elite 8.

A few days later, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk, Curry came to watch James during a game between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Bobcats. There, the NBA superstar gifted the young upstart a signed No. 23 Cavaliers jersey with the message “The Best Player in N.C.” on it, a priceless memento he still has.

“I still got it at my dad’s house in Charlotte,” Curry told Youngmisuk.

At that time, James was a household name and about to reach his peak in the NBA, while Curry was a relatively unknown guard from a mid-major program in North Carolina.

It took a few years after the Golden State Warriors selected him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft for Curry to ascend to the pinnacle of professional basketball.

Along with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Curry led the Warriors to five consecutive NBA Finals appearances, facing off against James and the Cavaliers four times.

James and Curry were once again selected to the Western Conference All-Star team, a sign that the two are not ready to give up the mantle to the younger generation just yet.

NBA fans will see the two legends in action for the All-Star Game on Sunday night at Chase Center in San Francisco.

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