As Warriors rise, so does Stephen Curry’s stardom
OAKLAND, Calif. – Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was driving in a car with his wife, Ayesha, over the summer when they put on a song by a popular rapper that everybody had been telling them to play.
“Been Steph Curry with the shot,” Drake called out in the song “0 to 100.”
The stunned couple looked at each other, smiled and broke out in laughter.
“It was pretty cool,” Curry said.
Sure, fans voted him into the All-Star Game as a starter, media selected him second-team All-NBA and a major car insurance company created a fictional twin for a popular commercial series last season. But the shoutout from a renowned recording artist might have been the moment Curry realized he had truly made it big.
Coaches, players and executives have taken notice of the growth in Curry’s game by strategizing everything they do around him. Marketers in the NBA league office and sponsors across the country have, too, putting his boyish face on national television and social media advertisements to promote their brands.
And with the Warriors (23-4) atop the NBA standings, Curry’s case for MVP is starting to echo around the league as loud as the chants do nightly at rowdy Oracle Arena.
Another chance to showcase his skills comes tonight, when Curry and the Warriors visit Chris Paul and the rival Los Angeles Clippers for what might be the best game on the biggest day of the NBA regular season.
“There’s big moments throughout the course of the season that you enjoy,” Curry said, “and you have fun showing what you can do.”
This is one of them.
Paul, the lead man in those commercials, has been considered among the best point guards for years. Curry, long labeled “just a shooter,” has added to his repertoire – and stayed healthy – each of the past three seasons to enter the debate alongside Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Mike Conley and others.
While the qualifying criteria might be a matter of preference, this much is indisputable: Nobody is running the show the way Curry is for the Warriors now.
In a game dominated by big men and played by some of the world’s greatest athletes, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Curry controls the flow without physically overpowering defenders. His shooting stroke can seem unstoppable at times, and when he gets going, nobody can seem to slow him down.
“His range is unlimited. Like, literally, when he crosses half court – 30, 35 footers are like layups,” Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said before Curry had 34 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in a 114-109 win over the Thunder last week.
Even before Curry’s evolution, first-year Warriors coach Steve Kerr saw the potential. As general manager of the Phoenix Suns, Kerr tried to orchestrate a draft-night trade in 2009 to acquire Curry from Golden State.
Nearly three years since the Warriors sent combo guard Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for center Andrew Bogut, Curry has blossomed with Klay Thompson (Washington State University) to form arguably the NBA’s best backcourt.
Curry is averaging 23.4 points, 7.7 assists, 5.0 rebounds and two steals this season. He’s also becoming a pest for Golden State’s smothering defense after being challenged by Kerr to guard his position.
“He’s awesome to play alongside with, he knows when to pass and take the big shots,” Thompson said. “He should definitely be mentioned in the MVP talks with the way he has been playing.”