Steph Curry, James Harden share ‘special’ moment before Warriors vs. Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry and James Harden both entered the NBA over 15 years ago, and the two stars have engaged in countless memorable battles on the court ever since.

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Now, at the tail ends of their storied careers, the league’s No. 1 and No. 2 all-time 3-point leaders can’t help but cherish every time they’re on the floor together.

“I mean, there’s nostalgia for sure, but there’s still mutual respect and admiration for just the fact that we’re still out there doing it,” Curry told reporters after the Warriors’ 98-79 win over Harden and the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at Chase Center. “And I think right before jump ball, I didn’t get to talk to him 1-on-1, but I pointed at [Harden]. You normally do a jump-ball circle. And I kind of mouthed, like, ‘We’re still doing this,’ which there’s kind of certain guys around the league that fit that category, especially me and him, Jrue [Holiday], DeMar [DeRozan] in my draft class. So, pretty special.”

Curry, taken No. 7 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, and Harden, selected at No. 3, have nothing but respect for each other — even though the Clippers star has admitted he would have an NBA championship to his name by now if it weren’t for The Chef and his Warriors dynasty besting the Houston Rockets back in the day.

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After the Clippers defeated the Warriors almost one year ago to the day on Oct. 27, 2024, Harden expressed a mutual admiration for Curry.

“It happened fast,” Harden told reporters last year. “Just the prime of that Rockets situation going up against that dynasty was real… I had to really go up against a real dynasty. It’s special. I’m overly excited and proud of what [Curry has] accomplished in his career. It’s one of those things and stories we can talk about when we get older and retire.”

Dub Nation certainly doesn’t want to think about that day, though Curry looks every bit as agile and talented as he did during that dynastic run during this season’s games.

But both Curry and Harden have built a legacy to be proud of, and it’s clear they’ll both savor every matchup they have remaining.

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