They say nobody is perfect. They must have never met Stephen Wardell Curry II. His mom Sonja may disagree after having smelled the not so freshly worn jersey he threw to her up in the stands after his on the court wizardry stumped the Orlando Magic in the Warriors 121-115 win on Thursday night, but if the worst thing you can say about the greatest shooter the NBA has ever seen is his stank after he scored 56 points in 34 minutes, so be it.
Stink aside, what does Curry not do perfectly? He turns 37 on March 14th so although father time is undefeated, he’s having a hell of a time slowing Curry down. In 32 minutes a night Curry averages 24 points per game on nearly 45% shooting, and almost 40% from long range. Throw is 6 assists per night and over four rebounds. Against Orlando he hit a mid court bomb which changed the momentum of the game, but that’s what Steph does, it’s what he’s always done. Do I need to remind you what he did at the Paris Olympics last summer? On a court of stars, his shone the brightest as he hit one of the biggest shots in US history. LeBron James won MVP only because his ego couldn’t handle anything else. Curry understood, it’s about the team, the bigger picture. He didn’t need anyone to tell him who would go down in history, no one will remember anyone else from that gold-medal winning game, he gets it. As great as Curry is on the court, he’ s the leader of the three-point revolution, he’s the NBA’s all-time long range leader in makes, he has four championships, two MVPs and is the main engine which took the Golden State Warriors from laughing stock to dynasty, he may be better off of it.
His smiling face never seems to have a bad day. His time is in short supply due to many commitments, endorsements, family, charity work and oh yeah, he’s an NBA basketball player and if it’s not in season games and travel, body is a temple, he’s committed to extending this magical ride as long as he can. Curry didn’t win the genetic lottery like many NBA players did, so he’s always working. He did get some solid genes from mom and dad and his brain, overall smarts, humility and confidence might be his biggest weapons, but Steph Curry is a machine. Sometimes he’s so perfect it’s almost scripted. I can’t recall him ever saying anything overly controversial, offensive or out of line and he’s constantly approached for his opinion on everything. He says the right thing at the right time. He’s calm, a leader, he’s funny, he’s insightful. Are you a CEO of a major brand or corporation? Curry is your man. He’s likable, always up beat, not a bad actor as far as commercials go and most importantly not going to end up on the police blotter. He’s a star, who doesn’t act like a star. He resonates with everybody, as much as a guy who made a reported $153 million last year can. Family man, entertaining, game changing, reliable, relatable, well spoken, never in trouble, attractive, funny, winner, and changed the game of basketball. If I didn’t like the guy so much I’d hate him. Pure jealousy of course.
Name me a better sports CEO who has a better resume of on and of the court, field or ice. No doubt Hall of Famer, zero transgressions off the field, the whole ball of wax. Peyton Manning is the closest. The Manning’s are the first family of football. The Curry’s have a legacy as well. Manning is an A+ endorsement guy. Won at a high level and played quarterback. He didn’t revolutionize the game like Curry and Manning didn’t win as much. Michael Jordan? Biggest winner, changed the shoe game more than anyone and considered to be the GOAT, but not universally beloved and why did he go play baseball again? Tom Brady? Divorced. LeBron James? Annoying self promoter. Kobe? Not everybody loved his in your face style, he embraced being the bad guy, not always the best thing when you rep a product. Curry has it all. The little guy who Duke rejected. Changed the game and ESPN Sports Center from dunks to making three-pointer cool. He’s the most entertaining player in sports, the ratings love him, so TV executives and the league love him. You want your daughter to date him and your son to be him. He wins, he sells, he speaks. Players want to play with him. He’s competitive, but not mean, he rips your heart out, but somehow fans almost like it. He made the Warriors winners. He made Joe Lacob rich, well more rich.
Steph Curry is what every athlete should aspire to be on and off the court, even if mom still has to wash his jerseys.