Fred VanVleet has unexpectedly become one of Stephen Curry's greatest rivals

Ask any NBA legend who their toughest matchups were and at least one of their choices will surprise you. They'll give the nod to their fellow superstars, but more often than not, their list will include a player you'd never think to mention.

When that question is inevitably posed to Stephen Curry at a future time and place, Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet is likely to make the cut.

VanVleet has put together a remarkable NBA career. Despite going undrafted in 2016, the veteran is in his ninth season, having played a significant role for the Toronto Raptors and the Rockets in eight of those campaigns.

That includes 2018=19, when VanVleet helped Toronto win its first and only championship—a title won at Curry's expense.

Now a former All-Star, VanVleet will one day retire with a résumé he deserves to feel positively about. For as true as that may be, there simply aren't debates about who the better player is between Curry and VanVleet—and if any do exist, they certainly aren't common.

Nevertheless, VanVleet has taken the 2025 NBA Playoffs and turned them into a reminder of how difficult it's been for Curry to play against him.

Fred VanVleet lives for the Stephen Curry matchups

VanVleet played 32.3 minutes per game during the 2019 NBA Finals, averaging 14.0 points and 2.7 three-point field goals made on 40.0 percent shooting from beyond the arc. That includes the decisive Game 6, when he scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter to help Toronto clinch the title.

Throughout that series, VanVleet joined forces with Kyle Lowry to slow down and cumulatively match Curry—and, based on the result, it's fair to say it worked out for him.

Fast forward six years and Curry is having flashbacks to one of the only two NBA Finals that he's lost. VanVleet is torching Curry and the Warriors, only this time wearing a Rockets uniform and fighting to push his team past the first round.

As for what that's translated to in the box score, VanVleet has now scored at least 25 points in three consecutive games—two of which were Houston wins.

With the Rockets' backs against the wall in Game 5, VanVleet scored a game-high 26 points to Curry's 13. With Houston again facing elimination in Game 6, VanVleet casually went on the road and posted 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.

Curry added 29 points of his own for Golden State, but it was VanVleet who got the last laugh with a near tripe-double and, more importantly, a win.

VanVleet has now either outscored or matched Curry's scoring total in three consecutive playoff games, as well as four of the past seven played between them dating back to 2019. For that matter, since Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Curry has only outscored VanVleet in seven of their 14 meetings—a significantly smaller margin than one might presume.

Curry remains higher on all-time lists for obvious reasons, but if Houston wins Game 7, VanVleet will officially improve to 2-0 against his unexpected rival in postseason series.