Cam Newton and Steph Curry have given their respective sports some interesting storylines this season, and they also share a mutual respect for each other.
Curry is the reigning MVP in the NBA and is well on his way to another one in the early part of the 2015-16 season, quickly becoming a household name like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Newton, meanwhile, has done the unthinkable with the Panthers and is in the NFL MVP conversation with just three weeks left in the regular season.
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Both athletes are quickly transcending their sports and both have helped author some amazing winning streaks this season. Curry and the Warriors rattled off 24 straight victories before finally succumbing to the Bucks, 108-95, on Saturday, and they easily have the best record in the NBA.
Newton and the Panthers, meanwhile, are the only undefeated team left in the NFL at 13-0 and are coming off of a 38-0 shutout over the Falcons on Sunday. The sports world is enamored with Newton and Curry.
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While it's tough to surpass King James in the NBA or quarterbacks like Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers in the NFL, Curry and Newton are quickly becoming the faces of their respective leagues.
And their play is backing it up.
Both athletes have footwear deals with Under Armour, and Newton helped hook Curry up with the endorsement because he was a big supporter of the Warriors star.
"I was always a fan of him," Newton told MMBQ. "He's not big. He's not tall. He's not the guy that's going to make that amazing dunk. You know he works on his skill. That's a character that's just America, that blue-collar person that works on each and every part of his game."
The feeling is mutual, as Curry gave Newton his endorsement for league MVP this season.
"To see Cam doing what he's doing and leading a team after all the critics basically said he's a mediocre quarterback," Curry said. "As a fan, I never believed that. It's great to see him out there playing well. He should be the MVP when it's all said and done."
Both men are getting it done on the field and court, respectively. Newton leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing touchdowns (7), while Curry paces the NBA in points per game (32.3). It is that success that has formed a bond out of mutual respect between the two athletes.
"We talk about the ride, but we also just kind of motivate each other without really speaking," Curry said. "What we're seeing each other do on the field and on the court, that's just motivation for us."