Getty Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors on the court during a 2019 playoff bout with the LA Clippers.
When Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors met Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets on the court on November 16, it was clear who the better player was in the moment.
Curry knocked down a whopping nine three-point shots en route to a 37-point bomb, pacing his squad to a 117-99 win. Meanwhile, KD struggled to a 6-for-19 night in a losing effort. Regardless, the debate over which of the former teammates is the better player overall continues to rage, much as it did when the pair won NBA titles together in 2017 and ’18.
It’s a subjective thing, of course, and everyone has their own take, but some people are definitely coming at the debate from a more educated POV. To that end, a veritable hoops professor just served up his pick.
Dwyane Wade — one of the 75 best players ever to hit the Association and a multi-time champ in his own right — was asked which of the two he would start a franchise with while guesting on the Dan Patrick Show. And while he appeared to deliberate live on the air, he had a definite response to the question.
D-Wade Goes With Curry
While posing the question, Patrick qualified that Wade — as GM — would get either Curry or Durant for the entirety of their career. He further stated that “their career is their career” in terms of whatever injuries they’ve had along the way.
“That’s a tough one,” Wade answered initially. However, he only paused for a beat or two afterwords before coming strong with his pick.
“I’m gonna go with Steph,” he told Patrick, who also chose Curry. “You can close your eyes and pick, but I guess I went with Steph because Steph has kind of revolutionized the sport. He’s one of those Mount Rushmores from the sense of changing the game the way he has. So, I give him a little nod.”
Little may be the operative term. Curry obviously has a leg up in terms of winning titles, but the statistical debate is less clear. Here are their respective career numbers per 36 minutes:
CURRY
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | EFG% |
| 25.5 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 58.4 |
DURANT
| PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | EFG% |
| 26.5 | 6.9 | 4.1 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 54.6 |
On the other hand, it was Durant, not Curry, who took home NBA Finals MVP honors when they won championships together. And there’s also a thought that Durant is the more versatile player, particularly on the defensive side. Still, Wade isn’t wrong when talks about the way in which Curry has changed the game.
In other words, the debate rages on.
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On Steph’s Upbringing
Patrick also asked Wade whether he would have been the same player had he experienced a more privileged upbringing. He confessed that his career “may have looked a little different” had his circumstances not been the same, but ultimately decided that it was more about mindset, citing Steph as an example.
“I look at someone like Steph Curry. Steph Curry grew up with his father in the NBA, obviously grew up having a very great life from a standpoint of the visual of a successful father — mother and dad together — and the family, and look at him,” Wade said.
“He still goes out and accomplishes things that no one in the game has seen,” he added. “If that hunger is inside of you to want to be great individually, if you want something for your life, then I don’t think it matters.”
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Dwyane Wade Makes Choice Between Warriors’ Curry & KD