‘CJ Stroud Fraternizing With The Enemy’: NBA Fans Concerned Over Steph Curry-Stroud Relationship As Rockets Deal With Disappointment

Prateek Singh | 21/04/2025
CJ Stroud (L), Stephen Curry (R)

​The NBA playoffs are where rivalries intensify, and loyalties are tested. In Game 1 of the Western Conference first-round series, the Warriors defeated the Rockets 95–85 on Houston’s home court, seizing an early advantage in the series. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 31 points and was accompanied by Jimmy Butler’s 25 points for the win. The Rockets did manage to cut a 23-point lead down to three, but couldn’t complete the comeback.

There were several stars in attendance at the Toyota Center for Game 1. One of them ended up creating a lot of buzz on the internet for “fraternizing with the enemy.”

Following the game, Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was seen on the court meeting with Curry. Stroud is a fan favorite in Houston and is considered a young legend at the age of 23. In his rookie season, Stroud led the Texans to a division title and playoff victory and won the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

So, the expectation from someone as well respected in Houston as Stroud must’ve been that he’d feel dejected over the team’s loss. More importantly, he wouldn’t greet the players from the opposing team. However, he was seen talking with Steph after the game, which caused quite a stir on social media. One fan wrote, “CJ Stroud & Joe Mixon fraternizing with the enemy I’m STRESSAN.”

Houston fans also noticed that Stroud didn’t even go to the Rockets team first after the loss. He went straight to Steph and had a conversation with him. Another fan wrote, “CJ Stroud going straight to Steph instead of around the rockets lol.”

In fairness, Stroud was born in California, and he must’ve grown up watching the Warriors veteran play. More importantly, he is a diehard fan of the four-time NBA Champion.

CJ Stroud once picked Stephen Curry over Michael Jordan

The NBA stars are some of the biggest names in the world of sports. Athletes from different disciplines take a deep interest in the game and are very passionate about their favorite teams or players. Stroud, being a Californian, is a huge fan of Steph. When Steph was dominating the league in the mid-late 2010s, Stroud was a teenager.

He grew up admiring the Warriors veteran. He has such a strong opinion on Steph that he once picked him over Michael Jordan. During a heated NBA discussion with Micah Parsons, Stroud argued that MJ couldn’t do much damage against Steph defensively.

He said, “Bro, he’s going to give him at least 25-30. Who would stop Steph? Was Michael Jordan the best defender ever…He might not even be better than Kobe in defense, what are you talking about?” Even though he was warned that people would criticize him for making such a statement, Stroud couldn’t care less about it over his admiration for the Warriors’ superstar.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
CJ Stroud Stephen Curry

About the author

Avatar photo

Prateek Singh

Prateek is a Senior NBA Writer for The SportsRush. He has over 900 published articles under his name. Prateek merged his passion for writing and his love for the sport of basketball to make a career out of it. Other than basketball, he is also an ardent follower of the UFC and soccer. Apart from the world of sports, he has followed hip-hop religiously and often writes about the origins, evolution, and the biggest stars of the music genre.

Don’t miss these