The way Stephen Curry answered the question said a lot about who he is as a basketball player and a person.
Never confuse Curry’s smile and childlike joy with a lack of competitiveness. If dared, the Warriors superstar would rip his opponent’s heart right out of his chest and throw it into his tote, like an angry Lloyd Christmas. Curry also brings greatness.
He welcomes it and feeds on it.
Such was the case playing alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green over the past decade. The same could be said for his three seasons as Kevin Durant’s teammate and the special bond he and Andre Iguodala developed over eight seasons.
So it’s no surprise that when asked which player in NBA history he would like to be on the same court with Curry, he picked three players and decided they would be teammates rather than enemies.
“My top three, obviously (Michael) Jordan, (Shaquille O’Neal) and I would probably say Hakeem Olajuwon,” Curry told NBC on the latest episode of “Dubs Talk” Sports Bay Area.
“I want to play with those three guys because I think with Jordan, we all want to see him up close. And then I think the pick-and-roll between me and Hakeem or me and Shaq is almost unstoppable.”
You can read: Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum, NBA Players of the Week
Starting from the order, Curry’s first choice is the one everyone wants to see. Whether home or away, the stadium will be filled with No. 30 Curry jerseys and No. 23 Jordan jerseys.
Everyone wants to be like Mike in the 80s and 90s, flying in the air, sticking out his tongue, waiting for the highlight reel to come along.
Now, Curry impacts fans of all shapes, colors, ages and genders. He is a star player that the Warriors and the entire NBA can count on to represent the game.
How Curry changed the game of basketball behind the three-point line has yet to be truly emulated, but the dream of at least doing that in a local park seems more attainable than a Jordan-style dunk from the free throw line.
Furthermore, Curry’s greatest strength is what was missing from Jordan’s repertoire, although the game was certainly much different in his 15 NBA seasons. Jordan’s career three-point shooting percentage is 32.7%.
Curry’s lowest three-point shooting percentage throughout the season was in his 33-year-old season, which was 38.0%, which made the two achieve a perfect balance defensively.
Dalton Johnson
NBC Sports Bay Area