Stephen Curry is undoubtedly going to go down as one of the greatest NBA players ever. What Curry did for the league is something that nobody will ever be able to replicate.
Three-point shooting continues to reach new heights with every season Curry has been in the league. There’s a great argument to be made that he’s changed the NBA as much as any other player.
However, things haven’t always been all sunshine and rainbows for Curry. Coming out of Davidson, many didn’t believe he was going to have the same impact that he did in college. If anything is ever true, Curry has proved all the doubters wrong.
How did he do that? By going out and doing what he did in college at an even higher level. The four rings also don’t hurt.
Curry has spoken about being a leader and says he does things a different way than many other all-time greats have.
“As a leader, you saw how (Michael) Jordan was, he was talking trash with teammates trying to dig at them, do a little stuff that he felt like would motivate them to get outside their comfort zone,” Curry said. “For me, I’m not the most boisterous, walk in the locker room like getting in people’s face type. Mainly, it’s about the consistency I show up every day.”
Steph Curry being doubted entering the league
Not only was Stephen Curry doubted when he entered the league, but he also dealt with adversity in his college career as well.
Davidson coach Bob McKillop saw the talent in Curry but was worried that he was turning the ball over too much. McKillop said:
“As a staff we had to decide, ‘Geez, we played a freshman and he turned it over nine times and he wasn’t even the point guard.’ Maybe we should change the lineup. But we decided no and said, ‘Remember what he did in Las Vegas.’ It’s going to click. He’s got it within him.”
Stephen Curry wasn’t the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NBA draft, despite being arguably the best college player in the country. Curry went seventh. Blake Griffin was the No. 1 pick, James Harden went No. 3 and Tyreke Evans went No. 4. Outside of Evans, the 2009-10 Rookie of the Year, those other guys deserved to be picked where they were.
However, Curry has certainly had a better career than anyone in the draft class, and many organizations have to be kicking themselves that they didn’t draft him. Curry changed the agenda around him and showed he can do what he did in college in the NBA.
Steph Curry changed his image winning four rings
If an NBA player wants to come in and quiet all of the doubters, doing exactly what Stephen Curry did is the way to do it. Winning four rings is never an easy task, but it’s funny because people still doubted him after the first few.
When Kevin Durant joined Golden State, many believed that he was the best player on the team and Curry was benefiting greatly. Once again, Curry turned around and quieted all the doubters, winning another championship as the clear best player on the team.
The 34-year-old Curry has nothing else to prove in this league. He’s the top 3-point shooter in nearly every single record and is a winner. Although the personal accolades are impressive, winning four titles is certainly even more impressive.
Curry said that the 2022 NBA title was the most special one of his career:
“The first one, you don’t really know what you’re doing until you accomplish it, and then you’re celebrating. The next two were kind of validation, trying to remain champions. But after these last three years and winning that one, definitely the most special.”
Perhaps Curry will still have another ring in the near future. It won’t continue to get any easier as he’s getting older, but he’s continued to show that he can defy any odds. The Golden State Warriors (3-6) are off to a slow start, and Curry could change that around once again this season.
