For the third time in four years and the second straight, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard will not be hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy. From 2012 to 2020, at least one of those four was on every champion, and from 2012 to 2019, at least one was on each conference champion, facing off in the NBA Finals.
I’ve been hesitant to realize this, partly because of childhood nostalgia and partly because they are all still miraculously playing at a high level. Still, it’s safe to say that the four future Hall of Famers’ perennial dominance in the National Basketball Association is over.