Stephen Curry is incredible. Golden State Warriors fans were treated to another vintage performance on Tuesday night as the 2x MVP erupted for 52 points against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Curry’s 52 points was significant for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, it was exactly what the Warriors needed in a must-win game for playoff seeding, having overtaken Memphis for the fifth-seed in the process.
Curry also passed Jerry West on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, placing the 37-year-old within the top 25 in NBA history. However, one other achievement Curry grabbed on Tuesday was passing LeBron James in most 50-point games ever.
Curry passes LeBron James for 50-point career games
Curry and James will always be mentioned together as the two faces of this NBA era. They’ve met each other in four NBA Finals and countless other epic battles, regular season and postseason alike. That is why every time either of them grabs another win or award over each other, NBA fans take note.
After Curry notched another incredible 50+ point performance, he moved ahead of James with 15 50+ point games. He is now tied with Damian Lillard for the sixth-most career 50-point games in NBA history, having passed James despite playing over 500 less career games.
For his longevity and incredible career, James is rightly often mentioned in conversations as the greatest player of all-time. However, at this point, Curry needs to be mentioned as well. Keep in mind that Curry has played in six fewer seasons than James, yet still has the same amount of championships and now more 50+ point games under his belt.
Curry has also changed the game in a way James never did. Curry was the catalyst for the 3-point evolution, and the NBA (and basketball as a whole) will never be the same again because of him. Of course, it will be difficult for Curry (or any player for that matter) to catch up with LeBron in countless statistical categories, but that's not all of what the GOAT conversation needs to be about.
Curry’s 52-point game in Memphis doesn’t put him ahead of LeBron in the GOAT conversation, yet it could be the start of a run that could. If Curry and the Warriors shock the NBA and win another championship, and Curry officially passes James for most championships of this era, then we might have to revisit and have a GOAT conversation that many won't want to have.