Stephen Curry has completely rewritten the narratives that were going around the NBA landscape about him, with a dominant performance in carrying his team to their 4th ring. Curry defied those that said he couldn’t be the main man at the highest level by winning his first Finals MVP and putting in big performance after big performance along the way.
As such, with almost every accolade that a basketball player can win under his belt, Curry has forced many people to reassess where he ranks on the all-time list. Ja Morant seems to think he’s Top 5, but very few would go that far even now. However, Curry has moved up a few spots in everyone’s estimation, with the legendary Charles Barkley now putting Steph ahead of one of his elite peers from the 80s and the 90s.
"This is going to be painful for me to say, but I think he passes Isiah Thomas as the greatest small guard ever."
—Charles Barkley on where Steph Curry now ranks on his list of the greatest players in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/X1gKnxRaxt
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) June 17, 2022
“This is going to be painful for me to say, but I think he passes Isiah Thomas as the greatest small guard ever. That’s just my personal opinion. I mean, 4 championships. Because, Isiah Thomas, to me, is the greatest little one guard ever. So I think for me, this pushes him past Isiah Thomas as the greatest small point guard ever.”
Isiah Thomas led his Detroit Pistons team to 2 NBA championships and was considered to be one of the best to play at his size, with Allen Iverson another in the conversation of the best small guard ever. However, Curry’s accolades have now far surpassed either of those players, his impact on the game and his achievements are both higher than anything they have managed before.
Curry is a 2-time MVP, something IT never managed, and he has twice the championships and the same amount of Finals MVPs. So all things considered, it would be safe to say that Steph is only in the conversation with Magic Johnson now when people talk about the greatest point guard to ever play the game.
