In the eyes of many, Stephen Curry didn’t have a whole lot left to prove after winning 3 NBA championships and 2 MVP awards but some still questioned his legacy. His critics argued that he had beaten an injury-riddled Cavaliers squad in 2015 for his first title and had Kevin Durant alongside him for the next two, so how good was he really? Well, Curry silenced all of those critics and showed that he is pretty darn good after leading the Warriors to the title this season.
Curry was magical in the Finals too, as he averaged 31.2 points per game while shooting 43.7% from beyond the arc and he capped off the series with a 34-point outing in Game 6. He has deservedly been showered with praise by the NBA world with many arguing that he is now a top 10 player of all time and Bill Simmons agrees with that notion too.
Has Steph solidified himself as a top-10 NBA player of all time?@BillSimmons and @housefromdc run through their top-10 lists and where Steph now fits in: pic.twitter.com/wDHmxe1Ko5
— The Ringer (@ringer) June 17, 2022
“He moved up my pantheon,” said Simmons, further adding “He was 16. Last year I put him in, I think he’s in the top 10 for me now.”
“I had him behind the following six guys that I think he has now leapfrogged: the great Moses Malone, Shaquille O’Neal… this hurts, Hakeem Olajuwon, I think he passed him. Because I think the added thing of how he just changed how basketball is played.”
“I got him passing (Oscar) Robertson and (Jerry) West and then Durant. Durant never did this. You can’t put Durant ahead of Curry – Durant never was decidedly the best player on a team that was built around him. He had the chance in 2016 and didn’t deliver. He had the chance in 2021 and this year, and didn’t deliver.”
Curry is unquestionably moving up the ladder and Simmons makes a fair point about him and Durant there. KD for all his greatness now needs to prove that he can win a title without Curry, as the Warriors guard now has 2 rings without him.
With Golden State primed to contend for championships in the near future, Curry will have chances to further climb up the ladder and who knows where he ends up when he retires.
