Stephen Curry and LeBron James have shared plenty of playoff battles, but one offhand comment from Curry did more to fuel Cleveland’s championship run than most people realized at the time. Years later, LeBron James’ former teammates revealed how that remark became extra motivation for the Cavaliers during their historic 2016 comeback.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Richard A. Jefferson recalled Curry saying he hoped the Cavaliers locker room “still smells like champagne.” For Jefferson, Steph might be the nicest human being, but hearing that kind of comment from his was unexpected. 

“It was kind of out of character for him to say something, and that low-key one, it’s a bar,” Jefferson said. “You say that to an opposing team that you’re playing… I think it had been said during the regular season, and that really stung.”

However, this comment by Curry ended up riling up the Cavaliers as Jefferson put it, “We’re not letting them have any champagne in this building,” they had all felt then. 

Curry made that comment in January 2016 when reporters asked about returning to Quicken Loans Arena, the site of Golden State’s 2015 title celebration. He meant it as nostalgia, but Cleveland’s locker room took it as a direct insult to their home court.

The minor issue became a major problem during the finals. Curry fouled out towards the end of Game 6 and tossed his mouth guard into the stands, getting his first career ejection as Cleveland cruised to an 115-101 victory with LeBron James scoring 41 points.

The frustration didn’t only come from Curry. Channing Frye on the same show also talked about another situation that riled up the team. “You forgot about Steph’s wife saying they’re cheating and this and that. And that made us even more angry.”

Stephen’s wife, Ayesha Curry, tweeted that the game was fixed, although she later explained that this response was caused by her father being racially profiled by security in the arena and a delay with the family bus that night.

The tension was evident in a historic Game 7 in which Cleveland became the first franchise to come back from a 3-1 deficit in the Finals series. James made his legendary block on Iguodala while Irving scored the winning shot against Curry, and the Cavaliers won by a score of 93-89.

That same old Cleveland rivalry is now nothing more than friendly relations. Almost a decade later, Curry finds himself trying to pitch to LeBron instead of picking at him from afar.

Stephen Curry’s Pitch to Bring LeBron James to Golden State

The LeBron James free agency saga is finally heading into mid-July after the four-time MVP told the Lakers he would play somewhere else next year. His destinations are the Cavaliers, the Heat, the 76ers, and the Warriors, with Curry having already stated his choice.

“The Bay, we know how to win, beautiful weather, great golf, I know he’s into that,” Curry said on Good Morning America.

“And I think that he’ll enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way,” Curry added, framing the move as a fitting final chapter.

James continues to be productive at 41 years old, as he averaged 20.9 points, 7.2 assists, and 6.1 rebounds last season, precisely what the ball distribution Golden State was missing after being unable to reach the playoffs with a record of 37-45, with Curry scoring 26.6 points per game.

James has been golfing with Draymond Green during this off-season, and his bond with Curry goes beyond their recent friendship; he and Curry have played each other in four consecutive NBA Finals between 2015 and 2018 and won an Olympic gold medal together in Paris.