Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant will go down as two of the most iconic names in the modern era of the NBA.
From their endless list of individual accolades to forming one of the most devastating 1-2 punches of all time, Curry and Durant have given us some unforgettable moments both as teammates and opponents for well over a decade.
While they will always be linked for their time as a dynamic duo in The Bay, their relationship dates back much further. Take a look back at Curry and Durant through the years.
Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant relationship timeline
Crossing paths on the AAU Circuit
Despite growing up in different states, Curry and Durant go all the way back to their youth, first crossing paths on the AAU circuit.
It’s hilarious to think of the NBA stars as a pair of 10-year-olds going at it, as Durant recalled in 2014.
“I was about 10 years old, and our AAU team drove down to Charlotte to play,” Durant said. “I thought he was white. He was this yellow kid, right? I’m just being real now, right? Where I come from, in the hood, we don’t see that. We don’t see the light-skinned guys around. It was all guys like me.
“I walk in the gym and this guy’s stepping across half court just pulling jump shots. Splash. Splash. And when we played him, he had like 35 and he was like 10 years old. I was like, who is this?
“10 years later, that was Steph Curry.”
Even back then Curry was pulling up from deep and lighting up the scoreboard.
Fast forward nearly a decade, Durant entered the league as the No. 2 pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Curry joined him when he was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Stephen Curry vs. Kevin Durant in the NBA
Dec. 7, 2009 — Curry and Durant square off for the first time in the NBA in Curry’s rookie season.
Durant leads the Thunder with 28 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals on 9-of-24 shooting from the field and 2-of-6 from the 3-point line. Curry records 22 points, four rebounds, two assists and four steals on 9-of-14 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 from the 3-point line.
Behind Durant’s all-around play, the Thunder cruise to a 104-88 victory.
April 11, 2010 — After losing his first three matchups against Durant, Curry gets his first win over KD late in his rookie season, as the Warriors overcome a 20-point deficit to secure a 120-117 win. Curry has 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while Durant leads the Thunder with 40 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
March 29, 2011 — The pair put on a show in an overtime thriller in Oklahoma City as Durant scores eight of the Thunder’s nine points in the extra period to help seal a 115-114 win.
Durant finishes with 39 points, six rebounds and five assists to Curry’s 35 points, six rebounds and five assists.
Jan. 17, 2014 — In his lone MVP season, Durant saves his best game for Curry, going off for a then career-high 54 points on an efficient 19-of-28 shooting from the field in a 127-121 win.
In a bucket-fulled one-on-one battle, Curry has 37 points and 11 assists.
Feb. 16, 2014 — Curry and Durant teamed up down the track (we’ll get to that later), but they first share the court as teammates in the NBA during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans. In what was Curry’s first All-Star selection, he’s voted as a starter alongside Durant.
Durant leads the West with 38 points while Curry has 12 points and 11 assists.
Feb. 27, 2016 — Perhaps one of Curry’s most iconic NBA moments comes against Durant and the Thunder.
The pair go back and forth in another overtime classic, but when Durant fouls out in the first minute of overtime with 37 points and 12 rebounds, Curry delivers the hammer blow, pulling up from 32 feet with 0.6 seconds left to bury the iconic “BANG” game-winner.
Curry finishes with 46 points on 12-of-16 shooting from the 3-point line, with his last triple tying the NBA single-game record.
May 30, 2016 — In Durant’s final game ever in a Thunder uniform, the pair square off in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.
After the Thunder let a 3-1 series lead slip, Curry leads the Warriors to a 96-88 win to advance to the NBA Finals for a second-straight season, becoming the 10th team in NBA history to rally back from a 3-1 series deficit.
Curry has 36 points, eight assists and seven 3-pointers while Durant finishes his Thunder career with 27 points and seven rebounds.
Kevin Durant joins Stephen Curry and the Warriors
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July 4, 2016 — The move that sent shockwaves through the NBA.
After spending the first nine seasons of his career with the Thunder, Durant entered free agency with no shortage of suitors, but thanks to a spike in the salary cap, he ultimately signs a two-year deal to team up with Curry in Golden State.
With Durant alongside Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Draymond Green, the Warriors dominate the regular season, going 67-15, before advancing to the NBA Finals for a third-straight season.
June 12, 2017 — In their first season together, Curry, Durant and co. defeat the Cavaliers in five games, giving Curry his second NBA championship and Durant his first.
The duo combine to average a whopping 62 points per game, with Durant earning Finals MVP honors.
June 8, 2018 — Just 12 months later, the Warriors create history, becoming the 13th NBA team to win back-to-back championships as they sweep the Cavaliers.
In Game 4, Curry and Durant run the show with Curry dropping 37 points and Durant recording a 20-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on his way to earning his second-straight Finals MVP trophy.
Kevin Durant leaves Stephen Curry and the Warriors
Durant was named Finals MVP in each of the franchise’s two titles during that span. He would play one more season in Golden State before leaving to join the Nets in free agency in the summer of 2019, bringing an end to one of the most unstoppable offensive duos in NBA history.
Across three seasons playing together, Curry and Durant led the Warriors to a 182-64 (.739) record in the regular season and a 46-14 (.767) record in the postseason, winning two NBA titles in three trips to the Finals.
Stephen Curry vs. Kevin Durant enters new chapter
Dec. 22, 2020 — Opponents once again.
After suffering a ruptured Achilles in the 2019 NBA Finals, Durant spent 18 months on the sidelines, making his return to the court against his former team. Durant finishes with 22 points in 25 minutes in the Nets’ 125-99 win. Curry records 20 points and 10 assists.
Dec. 14, 2021 — Durant and Curry set plenty of records together, but when Curry achieves the landmark feat of breaking Ray Allen’s record for the most 3-pointers made in NBA history, Durant is on hand to congratulate his former teammate.
April 30, 2023 — In 2021 against the Bucks, Durant set the NBA record for the most points scored in a Game 7 with 48 points. Nearly two years later, Curry goes on to set a new benchmark.
In the first round against the Kings, Curry drops 50 points to lead the Warriors into the second round, earning praise from Durant.
