Curry likes Lil Wayne, Warriors Finals pick, Brady comparisons

Curry likes Lil Wayne, Warriors’ Finals pick, Brady comparisons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

For perhaps most of this century, the bet in Southeastern sports was against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots making it to the Super Bowl. That remains true even as the quarterback enters the twilight years of his NFL career.

The Golden State Warriors believe that Stephen Curry, like Brady, will always guide them to the NBA Finals — and they’re not alone in that belief.

Rapper and noted basketball fan Lil Wayne even recently compared Curry’s Warriors to Brady’s Patriots. When asked about his favorite teams to reach the NBA Finals, Wayne surprised his son Cameron by answering the Milwaukee Bucks and Warriors.

“I didn’t expect you to say Warriors,” Cameron Carter said.

So Wayne (née Dwayne Carter Jr.) has an explanation.

“When you take Steph out, it’s the same feeling you had when you took Brady out in the past,” he said. “Those years with the Patriots, you just didn’t think they were going to win and then they’d go to the Super Bowl. That’s how I felt about Steph.

“Every time I’m ready to say, ‘Yeah, Steph’s starting to get old,’ that boy is in the Finals.”

When those comments were relayed to Curry on the latest episode of “Dubs Talk,” which premiered Thursday, the 35-year-old superstar didn’t try to hide his smile.

“I appreciate the compliment,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area. “I know my competitiveness, the culture we have here, we truly believe we can win . . .

“The expectations are so high that when we lose in the second round like last year it feels very disappointing and empty. But you still remember how difficult it is to win at this level.

“So, I appreciate the people who watch it regularly; “I know (Wayne) you watch a lot of basketball games. “

Wayne’s belief is rooted in the fact that the Warriors have made it to six of the last nine Finals. They won four of them, most recently defeating the Boston Celtics in 2022, and Curry was named Finals MVP.

Lil Wayne’s NBA credentials are well respected and he has appeared on numerous sports shows to discuss teams and players in the league. He also frequently uses big-name NBA names in his lyrics — Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Gary Payton.

Curry recalled Wayne watching the Warriors play in San Antonio during the 2016-17 season.

“You can tell he’s a basketball mind,” Curry said. “So, for him to connect that connection with greatness and a championship mentality and stuff like that means the world because that’s what I do every day.”

Brady and the Patriots parted ways in March 2020 after failing to agree on terms of a new contract. The then-42-year-old quarterback quickly signed with Tampa Bay two days later and led the Buccaneers to a Super Bowl title the following February.

The Warriors can only hope that Curry’s greatness and defiance of age will always lead them to the 2024 NBA Finals and beyond.

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