Getty Stephen Curry, Warriors
Just when you think you’ve seen everything that Golden State Warriors‘ captain Steph Curry has to offer on a basketball court, he redefines what’s possible.
After a handful of games that would have been borderline All-Star level for most professional players, but which were decidedly mediocre for the Dubs’ perennial All-NBA point guard, Curry exploded against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, November 8.
Curry dropped 50 electric points for the 10th time in his career, per Basketball Reference. The tally vaulted Curry into a tie with Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul Jabbar, who also happens to be the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, for 10th all-time on the list of players with the most 50-point performances in a career.
But the history making doesn’t end there.
Curry also put up a stat line that no other player of his age has ever accomplished in the history of the league. The Warriors posted the achievement, and an accompanying video, via the team’s official Twitter account Monday night.
The oldest player in NBA history with 50+ points and 10+ assists in a single game: Stephen Curry.
@UAbasketball || Second Look
“The oldest player in NBA history with 50+ points and 10+ assists in a single game: Stephen Curry,” the team tweeted.
The point guard is 33 years old. He will turn 34 in March of 2022.
Beyond his 50 and 10, Curry also grabbed 7 rebounds, made 3 steals and tallied 1 blocked shot on 14-of-28 shooting from the field and a blistering 9-of-19 from behind the 3-point line, per ESPN statistics.
It was Curry’s most prolific scoring effort of the year thus far, besting a 45-point performance he tallied against the Los Angeles Clippers on October 21. Curry dropped in 25 points during the first quarter of that game, an NBA-high thus far throughout the young season. He did so without missing a shot from the field during the opening stanza.
Curry Awes Teammates, NBA Legends
GettyAndre Iguodala and Steph Curry react to a play during the 2017 Western Conference Finals.
Even Curry’s teammates, former NBA Champions and Hall-of-Famers realized they were witnessing history in real time Monday night — and they shared that sentiment with the world, mostly via Twitter.
It started with Andre Iguodala.
“#30/#Thirty is really really really nice!,” Curry’s three-time NBA Championship teammate wrote online. “(We call him 30 btw….).”
Rusty Simmons, of the San Francisco Chronicle, posted a quote from another of Curry’s current teammates, Damion Lee, that was given to reporters following the historic night.
Damion Lee on Stephen Curry: “We have one of the top 75, 50, 25, 10 players to ever play the game. When he gets it going like that, it’s a special thing.”
“Damion Lee on Stephen Curry: ‘We have one of the top 75, 50, 25, 10 players to ever play the game. When he gets it going like that, it’s a special thing,'” Simmons wrote.
Hall-of-Fame point guard and two-time NBA Champion with the Detroit Pistons, Isaiah Thomas, also felt the need to express his gratitude for fellow greatness nearly unmatched in the history of the sport, including by Thomas himself.
“Let it be known @StephCurry30,” Thomas wrote, retweeting a video from the NBA’s official account recorded inside the Chase Center that showed fans appreciating their All-World point guard.
NBA Fans Showed Curry Love Across the Internet Monday Night
GettySteph Curry celebrates during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Not to be outdone, fans of the Warriors and the NBA in general, took to Twitter themselves to express their appreciation for Curry’s almost unthinkable greatness.
“Nothing better than a lights out Stephen Curry performance w/the 50 piece and 10 assists. Plus, his defense has been really intense this season,” read the Twitter account belonging to user Alessandro Amoruso. “Nothing better than than watching him shoot lights out. Not sure we’ll see another Steph in our lifetime.”
Beyond the general greatness, fans were also aware of the specific gravity of Curry’s accomplishment Monday night — the first 50-point performance of this NBA season — which added to the adulation.
“How about a 10th career 50-point game for Steph,” read the Twitter account belonging to user DC Cueva.
Curry’s big night led the Warriors to a 127-113 victory over the Hawks, catapulting Golden State to an NBA best 9-1 record through the first 10 games of the regular season.