LeBron James and Stephen Curry are two of the best players in the NBA currently, and they have been for some time. Whenever these two superstars meet up, basketball fans are always in for a treat. But according to Kendrick Perkins, it looks like one of these guys is beginning to gain a leg up over the other, and it all has to do with Kevin Durant.

For a point in time, the Warriors were the most feared team in the league thanks to their elite pairing of Curry and Durant. But ever since Durant left Golden State, Perkins believes that James has been having his way with Curry and the Warriors, and the former big man claims that the Lakers legend knows he can beat the Dubs whenever they match up now.

“Here's the fact of the matter: Without Kevin Durant on the Warriors, LeBron James basically can beat the Warriors any given time when it comes down to that head-to-head matchup with Stephen Curry.”

Article Continues Below
More Los Angeles Lakers News
New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after a three point shot against the Indiana Pacers in the first quarter during game five of the eastern conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden.
Bill Simmons drops Lakers conspiracy theory to give Knicks fans hopeJulian Ojeda ·
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) leave a court after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 94-85 in game two of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Crypto.com Arena.
LeBron James, Luka Doncic give Lakers their own unique 2-timeline issueAnthony Irwin ·
Feb 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (23) defends LA Clippers guard James Harden (1) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jason Parkhurst-Imagn Images
NBA rumors: LeBron James, James Harden potential free agency departures unlikelyZachary Draves ·
timberwolves, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
1 player Minnesota Timberwolves must trade in 2025 offseasonGarrett Kerman ·
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick reacts to his team losing the lead to the Minnesota Timberwolves late in the fourth quarter during game four of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.
Lakers’ JJ Redick link up with Les Snead at Rams campMiguel La Torre ·
image thumbnail
Sources: Lakers split on trading core playersAnthony Irwin ·

This is certainly a controversial take from Perkins, especially given all the history between James and Curry. The two met in the Finals four years in a row, with the Warriors winning on three of those occasions. However, since Durant departed for the Brooklyn Nets, things have become a bit more even for these two stars, with James winning a title in 2020 with the Lakers and Curry winning again in 2022.

However, these two teams hadn’t really run into each other at full health until the playoffs this season, and it seems to have made a big impact on Perkins that James and the Lakers easily beat Curry and the Warriors. Based on what we have seen, James may have the upper hand right now, but we also have learned to never count out the Warriors, so it will be interesting to see how the meetings between these two go in the upcoming 2023-24 season.