Since Stephen Curry‘s shoe free agency in November, the Warriors star has made it a point to put on a separate show altogether, aside from his ever-so jaw-dropping threes. On Friday, facing the Los Angeles Lakers, it was no different: the Chef cooked up something from the vault for his longtime rival-turned-friend, LeBron James. It reminded the 22x All-Star of the days when Curry was still a Swoosh athlete and of another reality.

This season, the two Akron natives never faced each other. James missed opening night due to sciatica, and Steph was dealing with a lingering knee injury. Neither participated in either game in February. Speaking about the disappointment of not facing Curry, he admitted, “We actually talked about it a little bit. We both didn’t even realize it until, I guess, today.” With James’ NBA future uncertain, last night could genuinely have been the last time seeing them on court.

Even though Dub Nation’s favorite did not play, that didn’t stop him from honoring James. Curry wore the Nike LeBron X in Golden State colorways. If you remember, the release of this sneaker overlaps with the initial Curry x Nike partnership. That’s why, after the game, James revealed how the shoe was made for Curry.

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“I mean, you got one of the all-time greats ever to rock my kicks that was super cool,” James said. “I think those were actually a colorway for him, I believe. I believe. We made them for him when he was with Nike at the time. But those Golden State colors, they look good on him. That’s special.”

Nike LeBron X was first released to the public on September 29, 2012. Curry was still serving his four-year deal with Nike, which ended in 2013, as the Dubs superstar later chose Under Armour after he felt undervalued and overlooked by the Swoosh. Despite the bitter history, the sharpshooter Curry honored James, as this colorway was created primarily through NikeiD (Nike’s customization platform) rather than a standard wide retail release.

As Curry took special measures, a reporter again asked James if he appreciated the Warriors star’s recent shoe game. The answer couldn’t have been clearer. He smiled ear-to-ear and uttered, “Oh, of course… I’m not sure if he had an extra pair, or those were the actual ones, but he went to the vault for those.”

Curry has maintained that his goal is to pay tribute to players, teams, cities, and important elements of basketball history and not to send a message to potential business partners. In fact, before the tribute on Friday, the Warriors legend also paid homage to James’ legacy.

Stephen Curry honored LeBron James earlier this season, but not with Nike!

Since the split from UA in November, Stephen Curry has not had any problems wearing any shoe brand, be it Nike, Converse, Adidas, or even Chinese footwear brands like ANTA and Li-Ning. The Warriors’ superstar has made sure to salute current stars and former rivals-turned-legends whenever he faces their teams or visits their hometowns. Last week, Golden State faced the Cavaliers, and Curry again went deep into his vault to honor the fellow Akron native.

The two-time MVP showed love to LeBron James against the Cavaliers by wearing his “SVSM” Adidas Pro Model 2G PE from his high school days. Curry wore the shoes as a nod to LeBron’s high school career at St. Vincent-St. Mary (SVSM) in Akron. Before signing his landmark deal with Nike in 2003, the Lakers superstar wore various Adidas models during high school.

The brand originally designed these “SVSM” player exclusives (PEs) specifically for him in the school’s signature green and gold colors. In fact, James only found out about this tonight. “I saw the picture today when he went to Cleveland. He had my first signature kick… Super special,” the 41-year-old said.

From fierce rivals with a mutual dislike for each other to winning Olympic Gold together and forming a bond that goes beyond the hardwood, that’s how the relationship between the two Akron natives has grown throughout their battles.