Getty Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry reacts following his team's title-clinching Finals win over the Boston Celtics.
Heading into the 2021-22 campaign, there was a smattering of detractors where Stephen Curry’s legacy was concerned. Despite all that the Golden State Warriors star had done on the hardwood, the fact that two of his three titles came while Kevin Durant was “leading” the charge, as well as his lack of a Finals MVP trophy, had become popular fodder for naysayers.
With the Dubs besting the Beantowners to capture the 2022 NBA championship, however — and Steph going supernova along the way — the haters definitely lost some ammunition for their anti-Steph arguments.
Of course, Curry’s decade-plus run of sustained greatness has undoubtedly put him in league with some of the most legendary ballers ever to lace up a pair of hi-tops. Many would even put him on their personal Mount Rushmores. But has he done enough, particularly in light of recent events, to enter the GOAT conversation with LeBron James and Michael Jordan?
A former league exec turned ESPN analyst just delivered a scorching-hot take on the matter.
Marks Takes Door No. 3
In a recent viral clip, Hall of Fame sharpshooter Ray Allen took a young hooper to task for declaring that LeBron was the GOAT over His Airness. During a Monday appearance on ESPN’s This Just In, NBA front office insider Bobby Marks was asked to weigh in on the clip and the LeBron/MJ debate.
Instead of picking one side or the other, though, Marks came in strong with a third pick for the distinction.
“I think Ray Allen hit it on the head and I’m going to stun you with this take here,” Marks said before dropping a (truth) bomb. “I actually think Steph Curry is the second-best player of all time, right behind Michael Jordan.”
Say it again, Bobby.
“I would put Curry ahead of LeBron James right now. Curry has this instinct — what I saw with Jordan — where any time he has the ball, you think it’s going to go in…”
When asked to clarify whether he meant Curry could finish his run as the second-best player in history or if he had already attained that status, Marks didn’t mince words.
“Right now, and he’ll be a solid No. 2 when we get to three or four years from now.”
The latest Golden State Warriors news straight to your inbox! Heavy on Warriors newsletter here!
Join Heavy on Warriors!Curry Definitely Has a Mount Rushmore-Worthy Résumé
While Marks’ declaration turned heads, he may just be right to throw the pride of Dub Nation into the GOAT mix. In terms of accolades, Curry can go toe-to-toe with just about anyone in the history of the game.
Across his 13 years in the NBA, the sharpshooter has netted four championship rings, two league scoring titles, two MVP trophies, one Finals MVP trophy, eight All-NBA nods and eight All-Star appearances.
His statistics are equally as impressive in a historical context. Steph is one of just four players ever to average 24-plus points, six or more assists and better than four rebounds for their career. The other three: LeBron, Larry Bird and James Harden. And of those legends, not one comes close to Curry’s effective field-goal percentage of 58.1.
When you throw in the fact that Steph literally changed the game — from the youth level on up — with his incredible long-range prowess and ability to dominate as a 6-foot-2 guard, it gets difficult to argue against him having a spot on hoops’ Mount Rushmore at the very least.
READ NEXT: