Paul Pierce isn’t arguing that LeBron James hasn’t defined the last two decades. He’s arguing that “defining” and “best overall career” aren’t the same discussion, and that when you talk about what the modern NBA became, the fingerprint belongs to Stephen Curry.
On a recent episode of the No Fouls Given podcast, Pierce made the case in the blunt, scoreboard-first language he’s always preferred, pointing to the Warriors-Cavaliers era as the hinge point. Curry-led Golden State teams beat LeBron-led Cleveland in the Finals three times (2015, 2017, 2018), while LeBron won once (2016).
Pierce’s broader point wasn’t just “rings,” but who those wins came against, the face of the era, in Pierce’s framing, was getting beaten on the sport’s biggest stage.
Then Pierce went to the symbolism: Curry’s 2016 unanimous MVP, still the only unanimous MVP in NBA history.
That season matters in Pierce’s argument because it lands right in the middle of LeBron’s prime years and because it illustrates how far Curry’s peak bent the league. In 2016, Curry received all 131 first-place votes, with LeBron finishing third in the voting.
“Let me ask y’all, dog. Seriously though, how many times has Curry beat Bron in the Finals? He beat him three times in the Finals… The man has an unanimous MVP while Bron was in his prime. He can’t get one vote? Nobody’s giving an unanimous MVP in the Jordan era… If we’re saying you’re the second best player all time, which a lot of people do, how can a man get a unanimous?”
Paul Pierce believes Steph Curry is best player of era
“How many times has Curry beat Bron in the finals? The man has a unanimous MVP while Bron was in his prime. Nobody is getting a unanimous MVP in the Jordan Era”
(Via @NFGShow, h/t @NBA__Courtside)
pic.twitter.com/I8UY5uj3wH— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) December 15, 2025
Whether you agree depends on what you think “defining” means. LeBron’s case is longevity, all-around dominance, and a career that spans multiple eras. Pierce’s case is that Curry changed the geometry of the sport, not just winning, but reshaping how teams build offenses, how defenses are forced to guard, and what shots are considered normal.
