Kevin Garnett did not hesitate when the question came up. In his mind, the NBA has belonged to Stephen Curry for a long time now. Speaking with Paul Pierce on Ticket and The Truth, Kevin Garnett made his stance clear.
“I think all the young stars of our league are starting to come into their own. I’ve said this countless times. I think that we’re in the Curry era. He is the GOAT of this era. When we talk about the long ball and the 3 ball, you got to talk about the messiah of that long ball, you understand, and that’s how I look at it.”
That word choice matters. Messiah. Garnett is not just talking about greatness in a traditional sense. He is talking about transformation. Curry did not simply dominate within the structure of the game. He bent the structure until the league followed him.
There is no debating Curry’s resume. Four championships, two MVP awards, including the first unanimous MVP in league history, and an NBA Finals MVP in 2022. Along with that, 11 All-Star selections, 11 All-NBA selections, and two scoring titles. And the title of the greatest shooter that God has ever created.
More importantly, Curry changed how basketball is played at every level. Spacing became mandatory. Pull-up threes became normal. Big men were forced to stretch the floor. Kids stopped dreaming about post moves and started practicing shots from the logo. Entire defensive strategies and schemes were built to track where Curry was standing, especially when he does not have the ball.
This is why Garnett is calling Curry the GOAT of this era. He is not just talking about accolades; he’s talking about influence.
And yet, there is one name that Kevin Garnett boldly overlooked: LeBron James.
If Curry revolutionized the era, LeBron defined it through dominance. LeBron entered the league in 2003 and is still going strong in 2025. Four titles, four MVP awards, four Finals MVP awards, a record 21 All-NBA selections, and 21 All-Star selections. The all-time leading scorer in NBA history, he has been the focal point of the league for over two decades and remains its face.
While Curry reshaped the game, LeBron ruled it across generations. He has outlasted entire draft classes that have come after him and has lived through different eras.
Is the ‘GOAT of an era’ the player who dominates the longest, or the one who changes the sport so completely that everything after him looks different?
Garnett clearly lands on the second definition. To him, Curry is the symbol of modern basketball. The long ball is not a weapon anymore. It is the foundation. And Curry is the reason.
But even Garnett’s take does not erase the reality. This era belongs to both men in different ways. Curry revolutionized how the game is played, while LeBron dominated how the game is won.
