Stephen Curry Opens 2022 ESPY Awards with Joke About LeBron James: He 'Hosted After Losing the NBA Finals'

Thanks to host Stephen Curry, the 2022 ESPY Awards kicked off with a bang on Wednesday.

Curry, who won his fourth NBA title in June, immediately began the night with a joke about his longtime rival, Los Angeles Lakers player LeBron James.

"I'm the second NBA player to host this award show, which is kind of crazy to think about," Curry told the audience at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

"LeBron James, he hosted this award show back in 2007, after losing in the NBA Finals," he continued before taking a sip of his drink. "So yes, you guessed it, this feels better, this feels better."

James and Curry have faced off many times in the past. Curry's Golden State Warriors bested James' Cleveland Cavaliers in three out of their four NBA Finals matchups, though the Cavs returned from a 1-3 deficit to win the 2016 NBA title against the team.

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ESPN first announced Curry would host the 30th edition of the ESPY Awards on June 29.

"I've had the pleasure of attending The ESPYS but never imagined I'd have the privilege of hosting this special event," Curry said in a statement provided to ESPN at the time.

ABC

He added: "As someone who loves the intersection of sports and entertainment, I look forward to delivering an exciting show for the fans while we celebrate the athletes who created the top moments of the year."

On Tuesday, Curry shared a sneak preview of the ESPY Awards stage in an Instagram Story.

"It's about to go down," Curry said. "And as you can see, the stage is ready, the audience is ready, it's going to be fun. ESPYs 2022, let's get it!"

The reigning NBA Finals MVP is nominated for three awards at the show: Best Athlete, Men's Sports; Best Record-Breaking Performance; and Best NBA Player.

Curry is up against fellow NBA stars Luka Dončić, Joel Embiid, and Nikola Jokić for Best NBA Player. At the same time, he is nominated alongside NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers, MLB two-way player Shohei Ohtani and NHL center Connor McDavid for the best men's athlete award.

The third award Curry is up for comes he broke Ray Allen's record for the most 3-point shots made in NBA history in a game against the New York Knicks in December. Allen's record stood at 2,973 3-point shots made. At the end of the 2021-22 NBA season, Curry made 3,117 3-point shots.

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Curry's Warriors teammate, Klay Thompson, is nominated for Best Comeback Athlete, while Golden State as a franchise is nominated for Best Team.

In 2021, actor Anthony Mackie hosted the ESPY Awards from New York City. This year's show, with Curry as host, airs live at 8 p.m. ET from Los Angeles.