Steph Curry appeared on Good Morning America Wednesday and made his most public pitch yet for LeBron James to sign with the Golden State Warriors, the latest escalation in a recruitment campaign that also includes Draymond Green pitching LeBron on a recent Puerto Rico golf trip and Frank Vogel being hired as associate head coach specifically because he coached LeBron and the Lakers to the 2020 championship.
"The Bay, we know how to win, it's beautiful weather, great golf, and I know he's into that," Curry said when asked what his pitch would be.
"The USA experience that we had, the battles that we've had over the years, we just know how to play basketball and I think that he would enjoy just the idea of what it means to finish your career the right way."
It is a characteristically Curry pitch, humble enough to be appealing, specific enough to be genuine.
He has also said more directly elsewhere:
"The pitch is, do you want to play good basketball and be around people that know how to play the game?"
LeBron, who informed the Lakers he was leaving at the end of June, is a free agent. ESPN's Shams Charania reports the field has narrowed to five teams, The Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Minnesota Timberwolves, with the Cavaliers, Heat and 76ers drawing the most focus.
The Warriors' path became more complicated when Washington Wizards GM Will Dawkins said Anthony Davis will stay in D.C., removing the trade that would have given Golden State the frontcourt needed to truly compete for a title.
LeBron is 41 years old. Curry is going into his 18th season. "That would be such a unique story in NBA history, in sports history," Curry said. The question is whether he writes it.