The Golden State Warriors star exclusively tells PEOPLE about the “deepened respect and friendship” he built with James in Paris

LeBron James and Stephen Curry pose with their Olympic gold medals at the 2024 Paris Games. Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE/Getty

Name a more iconic basketball duo than Steph Curry and LeBron James.

NBA fans were thrilled to watch Curry, 36, and James, 39, — who have long been rivals as two of the league’s biggest stars — join forces for the first time to win gold for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

It was just as — if not more — thrilling for the Golden State Warriors star, who tells PEOPLE he was excited to put aside any former rivalry and team up with James.

“All the battles we’ve had on the court and the back and forth, the fact that we actually got to be teammates, not just in any game like an All-Star game or whatever, but in high stakes basketball with a lot on the line…I think there’s a deepened respect and friendship there,” Curry says while discussing his new investment and partnership with Nirvana Super Waters & Seltzers.

“Hopefully, there will be more experiences in the future, even if we’re teammates or not,” he adds, noting that the two basketball greats “still have to compete against each other until it’s all over” when they return to their respective NBA teams for a new season in October.

After Team USA took home the gold medal (which Curry says he “pretty much hasn’t taken off” since Paris), James changed his Instagram profile picture to a shot of himself with Curry and Kevin Durant, which added to NBA fans’ excitement over the stars’ friendship.

“I posted the picture of us holding our medals,” says Curry, adding, “There’s a sense of pride being an Olympian, and for him, I know he’s done it before but it’s been a minute since 2012 when he played,” referring to James’ last Olympic appearance before the Paris Games.

Stephen Curry, Lebron James, and Kevin Durant of Team United States pose for a photo during the Men’s basketball medal ceremony on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The upcoming NBA season will be Curry’s 16th and James’ 22nd — which on its own is no easy feat for any athlete. But Curry says “it’s no surprise” that James is still playing at the level he is thanks to hard and consistent work.

The Warriors guard says he got to witness James’ work ethic “up close and personal” in Paris, and he tells PEOPLE that the secret to athletic longevity for himself, 35-year-old Durant and James at this point in their careers is “not by accident.”

“It’s everything that most people don’t get to see. It’s the time on the recovery table, it’s the time in the weight room, it’s day in, day out,” explains Curry, who says staying hydrated with Nirvana Super Waters (which include HMB, a natural substance the company says helps individuals build and maintain lean muscle mass) has become a staple of his recovery routine.

“That little bit of investment in preparing your body and your mind to perform. There’s nothing really glamorous about it. It’s extremely hard work. It gets monotonous at times and dealing with all the bumps and bruises of being an athlete, injuries that you have and all that type of stuff, it’s a grind.”

“I think we motivated each other even more to however much longer we have left playing,” Curry adds of his Olympic experience with James.

Stephen Curry and LeBron James of the USA Men’s National Team after winning the Gold against France on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. 

Amid a hectic off-season between the Olympics and welcoming his fourth child, Caius Chai Curry, with his wife Ayesha on May 11, 2024, the NBA star tells PEOPLE the excitement to suit up for the Warriors hasn’t faded a bit.

Curry says his continued joy for each season comes from “the fact that basketball is going to end at some point.”

“You can’t play this game for life, but the fact that being with the Warriors for this long and championship window that we’ve had, you want to keep that open for as long as possible.”

Golden State parted ways with Curry’s longtime sidekick and “splash brother” Klay Thompson last season, which he anticipates will be a “challenge” for his squad, but the Olympian likes being counted out. “I love the fact that people don’t think we can keep the pace with some of the other teams that they’re picking in the West,” he says. “And I just love that challenge of stepping into a training camp and being able to create your own success — that gets me going.”

“And obviously coming off of this Olympic experience, I’m trying to channel that energy all year.”

Staying hydrated is one of the more crucial aspects of his recovery heading into year 16, says Curry, leading to the basketball star’s new partnership with Nirvana.

“At this stage in your career, you’re trying to find a competitive advantage and a boost that can show itself on the court,” he says. “I think for me, outside of just being a professional athlete when it comes to leading an active lifestyle, aiding and just general recovery, if I can find any type of competitive advantage at this stage of my career, I’m all for it.”