Steph Curry and LeBron James duel on Christmas in a new chapter of their careers

SAN FRANCISCO — The two biggest titans of the NBA’s 21st century will meet for the fourth time on Christmas Day.

Given the point each is at in their careers, this could be one of, if not the last, time they match up on the NBA’s regular season signing day.

But until they retire, whenever that may be, they are still the main attractions.

“The same way Magic and Larry in the ’80s, MJ in the ’90s, Kobe for a long time, (in some ways) they’ve carried the league,” Lakers head coach JJ Redick said.

“Popularity, growth, all that. They’ve had a big part in that. The back-to-back finals against each other definitely really helped that. I think overall they’re different careers, different legacies, but for me they’ve guys – both of them – a strong case if you want Mt. Rushmore of the best four NBA players of all time.”

James turns 40 at the end of the month. Curry turns 37 in March. They are each still capable of taking over games and rate very high in advanced metrics like value over replacement player and box plus/minus.

But they have also shown signs of decline. It would be absolutely incredible if they didn’t.

In the past week, Curry had two of his worst games of his career — a two-point dud against Memphis and a 2-for-13 night against Indiana. He hasn’t had as much success throwing face screens and double teams and seems less inclined to drive to the basket at times.

asked by ESPN’s Malika Andrews if he thinks about how much longer he’ll play, Curry said “more than I probably have before.”

“It’s okay to accept and acknowledge that the end is near, no matter what time,” Curry said. “But only because it allows you to enjoy what’s happening right now. The more you talk about it, the more you acknowledge it, it increases the sense of urgency of the moment.”

James, meanwhile, has scored fewer than 20 points in 11 of his 27 games played. The Lakers are strangely 9.3 points per possession worse with him on the court. Although he has greatly increased his defensive intensity recently, James is nowhere near the dominant defender he used to be. Earlier this year, he left the team for eight days for a physical and mental refresher.

“Part of it is just Father Time,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. “If you’re 40, or almost 37 in Steph’s case, it’s a lot harder — physically and emotionally — to see what those guys are going through night after night after night. There’s a reason players have to go on retirement. They can’t do it forever.”

Both the Warriors and Lakers have struggled and hovered in the thick of the Western Conference play-in picture. They each likely need a major trade to get back to the type of postseason relevance Curry and James are used to.

They are still the league’s biggest draw. Either Curry or James has led the NBA in jersey sales every year since the 2013-14 season. Nationally televised games featuring one of them typically rate better. Curry and James have combined for 30 All-Star selections, eight championships and six MVP awards. Their legacies are signed, sealed and delivered even independently of the final chapters they write.

Although their personal rivalry came to a head with four straight Finals meetings from 2015 to 2018, Curry and James have always had a mutual respect for each other. They teamed up for the first time this summer when they led Team USA to Olympic gold in France. Coaching them was one of the biggest thrills of Kerr’s coaching career.

On Wednesday, when James came out of the visitors’ tunnel for warmups, he playfully tried to block a Curry practice shot before the two embraced in a bear hug.

If this is their last Christmas sharing a court together, they will go out with a slap.