With Curry and James, it is almost impossible to win the fifth championship in his career.

On May 16, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, the two greatest players in NBA history, suffered another setback in the 2024-2025 playoffs. With the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers being eliminated one after another, the hopes of the two legendary stars competing for the fifth championship trophy of their careers have become increasingly slim. This is not only a regret of an era, but also triggers profound thoughts about the end of the career of a superstar.

Judging from the data, Curry still maintained an elite performance this season, averaging 26.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists per game, and his three-point shooting percentage is as high as 41.2%. However, the Warriors lost 2-4 to the young Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semi-finals, exposing structural problems such as aging lineup and insufficient defensive vitality. Especially when Curry got off the court, the team's offensive efficiency plummeted, which reflected the Warriors' over-reliance on the 36-year-old veteran. It is also worrying that Curry missed 15 regular season games this season with an ankle injury, the most absenteeism record since his 2019-2020 season reimbursement.

LeBron James' situation is even more complicated. He is about to turn 40 and can still contribute comprehensive data of 25.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.1 assists, but the Lakers were eliminated by the Phoenix Suns in the first round. James averaged 38.7 minutes of playing time in the series. In the crucial fourth game, he was obviously exhausted at the last moment, and missed two consecutive shots, causing the team to be reversed. This makes people think: even as great as James, it is difficult to completely resist the erosion of time.

From the perspective of team building, both teams face similar dilemmas. The Warriors' salary structure has been severely unbalanced. Curry, Thompson and Green will have a total salary of more than $130 million next season, leaving extremely limited room for management to strengthen. Although the Lakers have more flexible salary space, there are very few high-quality puzzles suitable for James and Davis in the free market. More importantly, the core lineups of both teams are no longer young. Except for Curry, Thompson and Green in the Warriors' condition has declined significantly; although Davis of the Lakers remains healthy, the contribution of role players is extremely unstable. The competitive landscape of the

The Western Union is also undergoing profound changes. Teams such as the Denver Nuggets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Minnesota Timberwolves have all established lineups with young cores. They not only have an advantage in talent, but also crush the old strong teams in physical fitness and lineup depth. Especially Jokic of the Nuggets, the two-time MVP winner is in his prime, and he completely dominated the inside in the series with the Warriors, averaging 31.2 points, 14.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. This sign of intergenerational change indicates that the NBA is entering a new era.

From a historical perspective, there are only a handful of players who can win five or more championships. Bill Russell had 11 rings, but that was in an ancient era when the number of teams was very small and the competition was insufficient; Michael Jordan's six championships were completed in a relatively concentrated period. If Curry and James want to add another championship at the end of their careers, they not only need to maintain their peak form, but also require the team management to make precise operations, and also need to avoid multiple tests of injuries and luck in the playoffs.

It is worth thinking that even if you cannot win the fifth championship, Curry and James' legendary status has long been established. Curry completely changed his basketball style and raised his three-pointer to an unprecedented strategic height; James maintained the record of the record-breaking scoring leader and maintained his top competitiveness for 20 seasons. Their durability and innovative impact on the game have surpassed the simple comparison of champions.

Looking to the future, the choice of the two stars will be crucial. Curry may choose to live off the Warriors even if the team no longer has the ability to compete for the championship; while James may continue to pursue the championship, and it is even impossible to rule out the possibility of changing the team again. But anyway, the 2025 playoff loss is likely to be an important turning point in their careers, marking the gradual shift of the two from absolute core to mentor roles.

In this modern basketball era that emphasizes speed and space, we may be witnessing the end of an era. Curry and James’ story reminds us that even the greatest athletes cannot defeat time forever. But it is this kind of struggle with time that makes their careers so moving and every game they participate in is worth cherishing. The fifth championship may be out of reach, but the legacy they left to the basketball world has long surpassed the number of champion rings.