Even though Steph Curry has missed a large part of the 2025-2026 season due to injuries, he has still found ways to keep fans talking. His off-court moments, especially his sneaker choices, have become a highlight of their own. As a sneaker free agent, Curry has been getting creative, often matching his shoes to the team he is facing or the arena he is playing in.
During Thursday’s Golden State Warriors-LA Lakers clash, Curry showed up at the Chase Center wearing a throwback pair that instantly grabbed attention: the Nike LeBron X IDs from 2013. Since he was sidelined for the game, fans missed out on seeing him go head-to-head with LeBron James this season. Still, the brief interaction between the two stars ended up being more viral than the game itself.
Before tip-off, James noticed the shoes right away and couldn’t hide his excitement.
“Out the vault,” James told Curry while embracing him before tip-off.
That short exchange quickly made the rounds online and reactions instantly poured in.
“Just team up and get it over with,” @AVA78511570 said.
“Curry in LeBrons?? Yeah this one from the archives fr 🔥👀,” @bashthemagic wrote.
“He looks like a 5th grader going to school,” @JustinXCI said, referring to the jeans-sneakers combo.
“GOAT showing love to another GOAT!” @DL862002720 wrote.
“Out the vault for real 😭 Steph pulling 2013 LeBron 10 IDs like it’s nothing. Basketball culture at its finest 🤝🔥,” @catul_lafortune wrote.
James later shared how much it meant to him to see Curry wearing one of his signature pairs.
“You got one of the all-time greats ever to rock my kicks, that was super cool,” James said.
As for the game itself, James returned after sitting out the previous matchup and looked fresh. He finished with a 26-point, 8-rebound, and 11-assist near triple-double performance, leading the Purple & Gold to a 119-103 win.
LeBron James sheds light on rivalry with Steph Curry
It’s been a tough break for fans this season. With LeBron James missing the early weeks and Steph Curry out since late January, we never got to see the two share the court.
LeBron even admitted he hadn’t realized it at first.
“We actually talked about it a little bit,” he said. “We both didn’t even realize it until today… We haven’t played against each other this year. And I didn’t even notice until I saw it.”
He went on to reflect on what those matchups mean to him.
“You never know what the future holds… It’s always a pleasure and an honor to be in his presence and compete against him.”
As things stand, the chances of them meeting this season are slim. The Warriors would need to make it through the play-in and then advance in the playoffs, depending on where the Lakers land. It’s possible, but not very likely. At this point, the next real opportunity to see them face off again will probably come next season.
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