Getty Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry arrives at the 2022 ESPYs.
It’s no stretch to say that what Stephen Curry has accomplished on the court for the Golden State Warriors is just about unmatched in the modern NBA. He’s arguably in the GOAT conversation, too, when one considers his numbers over the last decade-plus, the championships and the way he changed the game at every level with his long-range shooting.
As his influence has grown and he’s become more comfortable with himself and his place in the world, he’s endeavored to make a positive impact on society as well.
Back in 1993, Charles Barkley famously told the world, “I’m not a role model,” as part of an iconic Nike ad campaign. Whether Steph agrees with that credo or not, he has come to understand that his words and actions can be powerful tools when puts them to work.
Learning how, when and where to focus them has been a process, though. And the Dubs cornerstone just confessed to Rolling Stone‘s Matt Sullivan that he missed a major opportunity to make a statement as one of the biggest hoops scandals of the last decade unfolded.
Steph Wishes He Could Have a Donald Sterling Do-Over
Then-LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling became mired in controversy in 2014 when a recording of him making incredibly racist statements in conversation with his mistress was made public by TMZ. Just two days after the tape’s release, those same Clippers squared off against Curry and the Warriors in Game 4 of a first-round playoff series at Oracle Arena.
Clippers players considered boycotting the contest in protest of Sterling’s remarks, and the Dubs were right there with them. In the end, though, the game was played and the Clips instead protested by wearing their warm-up shirts inside-out to hide the team’s logo before removing them and placing them at center court.
Looking back, Curry wishes he would have pushed harder for stronger action.
“One of my biggest regrets is not boycotting the game,” Curry told me. “That was a moment to leverage beyond anything we probably could have said.”
A Different Course of Action
Curry further revealed that he and his teammates had designs on exiting the court immediately after the game tipped off. And in 2019, Andre Iguodala indicated to ESPN‘s Ramona Shelburne that he was actually ready to go full-on nuclear at the time.
“I was all-in. Like, shut down the whole season,” Iggy said. “Maybe that was too far, but as far as that game that day, you can reschedule it, you gotta sort this thing out, because there’s some deep-rooted stuff with him that had to be addressed.”
In the end, though, Steph and Co. deferred to Clippers and their point-man, Chris Paul, who had just been elected president of the NBPA the previous summer.
While Steph feels like more could have been done in the moment, Sterling nonetheless found himself on the receiving end of a lifetime ban and a $2.5 million fine from the league office. He was essentially forced to sell the team, too, which resulted in Steve Ballmer’s current ownership.