Getty Steph Curry reacts to a play in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies.
After 13 seasons of proving himself in the NBA — and two league MVP awards to show for it — Steph Curry doesn’t have any more time or concern for critics who claim that his deep-shooting style is “ruining” the game.
Curry has gotten plenty of praise for the way he ushered in a new era in the NBA, one when teams are no longer reluctant to give the green light to their best shooters and almost anywhere inside halfcourt is in play. But there are still some who criticize Curry for this style of play, and the Golden State Warriors star is answering those critics.
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Curry Claps Back
In an interview with Shams Charania of The Athletic, Curry admitted that he’s constantly hearing from those who believe that he changed the sport for the worse — but doesn’t agree with them at all.
“I’ll get tagged on something on social media, like, ‘You ruined the game,’” Curry said. “Anybody who knows basketball knows where I stand on that. It’s an amazing way to play the game. It opens up the creative. Everybody loves to shoot the ball. But you can’t skip the work and years and years and years and years of reps that I put in and everybody on this level has. So, don’t skip that process. It is a fun way to play, and it’s dope to know that everybody feels an attachment to it.”
Curry can be a polarizing player — for all the criticism he hears online, there are also fans who cheer for him and lead MVP chants in road arenas. The Warriors star said he doesn’t try to take any of it too personally.
“People are going to talk s***. Hate and love and criticism and celebration — everything,” he said. “That’s why I stay so even keel.”
Steph Curry opens up.
In a one-on-one interview, he discusses leading a young team, the aftermath of his 3-point NBA record, Klay Thompson’s mindset and the MVP race.
Exclusive with @ShamsCharania: t.co/vTkPkCjU6s
While Curry may have been the most prominent player to expand the three-pointer as a central point of the offense, there have been plenty of other players and teams willing to follow suit. The Sporting News noted that teams across the league are shooting from deep at a dramatically higher clip.
“It’s not just Curry, though. The average number of 3-pointers made per game has been a league record in each of the past eight seasons,” the report noted. “Furthermore, the rate of 24.3 combined 3-pointers made per game in the NBA this season is more than twice that from 2005-06 (11.5).”
Curry’s Play Also Earns Praise
There are plenty of people who agree with Curry, believing that the new style of play has been a great change for the NBA. New York Knicks legend Patrick Ewing even compared Curry to Michael Jordan, saying both of them ushered in exciting new eras for the game.
“Steph, like Michael, changed the game,” Ewing said in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Chris Mullin back in May. “You got guys shooting those deep shots and doing the things that he did. Michael changed it by all the dunking he was doing.”
“Every 3 that I make now is a new record, which is kind of funny.”
Steph Curry opens up about breaking the 3-point record and the emotions that remain.
Exclusive with @ShamsCharania: t.co/fFStMKFJWX
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, a former teammate of Jordan on the Chicago Bulls, also saw comparisons to MJ when Curry was carrying the team last year with an MVP-caliber season with his otherworldly shooting.
“He’s reminding me of MJ in that you just get so used to the brilliance and the excellence, it sort of blends in with everything else,” Kerr told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. “It just becomes routine. It’s insane to say that because what you’re watching is otherworldly, and yet you sort of begin to expect it. That’s probably the purest sign of greatness.”
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