Getty Images Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors.
The Golden State Warriors franchise and their trio of superstars do not have anything left to prove — to anyone.
But NBA analyst Charles Barkley of TNT, a notorious troll of Dub Nation, clearly does not believe he numbers amongst the group of pretty much everyone else who watches, cares about, or works in the game of basketball — particularly when it comes to Warriors superstar point guard Steph Curry.
Curry has won four championship rings in the last eight years, two league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Awards and two NBA scoring titles. Beyond that, he’s arguably the greatest volume shooter from behind the 3-point line who has ever lived and bends defenses like no player before him.
Finally, after winning his first Finals MVP by leading the Warriors past the Boston Celtics in June, Barkley gave Curry his due — sort of.
“He’s one of the greatest [players] ever,” Barkley told Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area during the American Century Championship golf tournament in Lake Tahoe earlier this month. “Somewhere between 10 and 20.”
The quotes were a break from Barkley’s feud with Golden State and its fans, which started via a contentious back and forth with Draymond Green and continued on through the 2022 NBA Finals.
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Barkley Groups Curry With Unlikely Player as Best Point Guards Ever
GettyGolden State Warriors star point guard Stephen Curry celebrates a three-point make during Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics.
Barkley went on to acquiesce that Curry is one of the two best point guards in NBA history, though the player with whom he chose to pair Curry was somewhat curious — Isaiah Thomas of the “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons, a team that played at its pinnacle from the late 1980s through the early 1990s.
“I said after he won this one, that puts him on the list with Isiah Thomas,” Barkley continued. “He’s at the table in the Hall of Fame with Isiah Thomas as probably the best point guards. Those two guys are probably the two best points to ever play the game.”
Barkley may be showing a bit of personal era bias as he, too, was at the peak of his powers during the same time period. Thomas was part of back-to-back championship teams, the last two squads to best Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in the Eastern Conference Playoffs before Jordan led his team to consecutive three-peats, with essentially two seasons off in between.
However, Los Angeles Lakers point guard Magic Johnson might like a word with both Barkley and Thomas about how should occupy the other of the two slots for best players at the position in NBA history.
Barkley Also Shouts Out Warriors’ General Manager Bob Myers
Getty/Ezra ShawGolden State Warriors general manager Bob Myers walks past Stephen Curry in Oracle Arena in Oakland.
Beyond praising Curry for his accomplishments, Barkley also extended props to Golden State general manager Bob Myers for his acquisition of forward Andrew Wiggins, who was crucial during the Dubs’ run to a fourth title.
“I’ve got to give a shout out to Bob Myers because when he made that Wiggins trade, not many people thought that was a good trade,” Barkley told Poole. “[Wiggins] ended up being the second-best player on the team during the Finals, so give Bob Myers some credit.”
“And obviously, Otto Porter played great. Drafting Jordan Poole. You talk about Steph and those guys, give Bob Myers a ton of credit. He deserves it.”