The NBA has announced that the Los Angeles Lakers will host the Golden State Warriors on the opening night of the 2025-26 season.
This means that the two most popular players in the league, LeBron James and Stephen Curry, will face off for the 57th time.
Curry currently leads the head-to-head 30-26, as they have formed one of the biggest rivalries in modern NBA history.
Ahead of their next matchup, Kendrick Perkins has explained why he thinks the Golden State Warriors legend cares so much about defeating James.
Photo by Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesKendrick Perkins shares theory on LeBron James vs Stephen Curry rivalry
James and Curry are undoubtedly the two greatest players of the 2010s era, and at one point, there were discussions over which was better.
Those ended when the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 down to beat the Warriors, as James elevated himself into the greatest of all time debate.
The 2025-26 regular season will tip off with a doubleheader on Tuesday, Oct. 21 as the NBA returns to NBC and debuts on Peacock.
🏀 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the @okcthunder receive their championship rings and raise their championship banner before hosting the @HoustonRockets… pic.twitter.com/TRuUEgH3zP
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 12, 2025
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Perkins now thinks that Curry is so eager to beat LeBron because he “feels like” he should be held in the same regard as his rival.
“Because you have two all-time greats that, every time they step between those lines, they want to kick each other’s a–. LeBron James wants to give Steph that work, and Steph wants to give LeBron that work,” Perkins said.
“And we can look at the numbers; they speak for themselves. So when you have these two all-time greats, yes, they’re OGs, but they’re actually always competing to say, ‘That’s my block, homie. This is my turf.’
“We talk about LeBron James being arguably the greatest player of all time, and rightfully so, but Steph feels like he should be in that conversation. So when they step between those lines, it’s a brawl for it all.
“There’s a reason they touched nearly nine million viewers on Christmas Day. All eyeballs were on them because they never disappoint.”
LeBron James and Stephen Curry’s Christmas Day opponents
James and Curry will also be involved in the Christmas Day slate of games, but not against each other.
In the third game out of five, Curry and the Warriors will take on Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and the Dallas Mavericks.
The NBA will feature five games on Christmas Day (Thursday, Dec. 25) for the 18th consecutive year, with ABC and ESPN both televising each matchup. pic.twitter.com/GjmfyljacD
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) August 12, 2025
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The fourth Christmas Day fixture will see the LA Lakers travel to the Houston Rockets, as James takes on another rival, Kevin Durant.
Both the Lakers and Warriors have championship aspirations heading into the 2025-26 season, and they could even meet in the playoffs.