"He signed a jersey for me...called me the king of basketball in North Carolina" - Steph Curry recalls a fabled instance where LeBron James came to watch his college game in 2008

NBA and Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry's rivalry with LeBron James has arguably been the most defining rivalry of the last decade as the teams they led made the NBA Finals from 2014 to 2018.

Speaking to GQ Sports, Steph Curry talks about the time before this rivalry began as he recollects the moment when King James showed up to one of Curry's college games. Curry said:

"I was a sophomore in college and LeBron was coming to my games! I actually still have the jersey he gave me. He signed a jersey for me. I think that was November of my junior year. On my wall at my parents' house in Charlotte, it's still there."

The Baby-Faced Assassin continued to talk about that interaction with LeBron and the message King James had passed on to Curry. Steph continued:

"And he wrote it to me, called me the king of basketball in North Carolina. So I guess it's like the corny idols-become-rivals thing."

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Is Steph Curry the MVP favorite this season?

Curry against the Dallas Mavericks

Unarguably the greatest shooter God has ever created, Steph Curry has had an unbelievable season thus far, making him one of the favorites to win the MVP award. Already a two-time MVP, Curry is leading the way for the Golden State Warriors and their pursuit of yet another championship.

Chef Curry is currently averaging 26.8 points, 6 assists and 5.3 rebounds while shooting the ball better than 42% from the field and higher than 38% from beyond the arc. He is shooting nearly 92% from the free throw line this season and has recorded six double-doubles and one triple-double thus far. He's doing all of this without Klay Thompson on the court.

While shooting less than 39% might seem like a drop in terms of his accuracy from downtown by Curry's standards, keep in mind that he is having to carry the load without Thompson. Steph is taking a career-high 13.2 attempts per game from long range. He also recently surpassed Ray Allen's record for most three-pointers made in NBA history.

What is even more remarkable is the defense being showcased by Chef Curry this season. Steph Curry's defensive rating this campaign is currently 98.6, which is the second highest of his career and that speaks volumes of how much Steph has contributed to the success of the team.

The likes of Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo are also in contention for the MVP award this season along with Curry. But Steph Curry has his team at the summit of the Western Conference standings while playing without Klay Thompson, and this gives him the edge over his rivals.

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