Stephen Curry has finally won himself a Finals MVP and now has 4 NBA championship rings in his collection as well. The greatest shooter of all time has cemented his legacy by winning just about every major NBA accolade. And not only has Curry made a huge impact on the league itself, but it’s not unfair to say that he has also changed the entire game of basketball and the way it’s played.
Most would assume that this makes Curry a lock for any list of the 10 greatest players ever. But this isn’t the case, many still think Steph needs to do more to crack that list. Part of this stems from the fact that 2 of his rings came when the Warriors had an unbelievable superteam at their disposal, one he helped build. But as far as Kevin Garnett is concerned, his impact on the game is what makes including him a no-brainer.
Kevin Garnett’s Passionate Rant About Stephen Curry’s Greatness After Paul Pierce Said He’s Not Top 10 All-Time
Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce recently appeared on a combined podcast of All The Smoke, including Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson and Garnett’s own KG Certified. The topic of Stephen Curry came up, and it led to an epic conversation, with Garnett going off on a passionate rant.
(starts at 50:58 minutes):
Paul Pierce: “If Curry win another chip…”
Matt Barnes: “Where you put him? Is he top 10 right now?”
Kevin Garnett: “Hell yeah!”
Paul Pierce: “No, I don’t got him top 10 right now.”
Kevin Garnett: ” You tripping. Man changed the game and where you shoot the ball from. That’s first. Secondly, he does it on a consistent basis. Every guard that’s f**kin under 6-foot think they Stephen Curry.”
Paul Pierce: “I still respect the older players of their generation, though… Everybody got they opinion. I still respect the older guys in that era like the Russell and the Wilt. You know, that’s a lot of disrespect to them.”
Kevin Garnett: “Nah they still in the top 10. I got them 2 in the Top 10. When you change the game… Bro, the pick up point on that n**** is when he get past half! If you tired, what do you do? You run back half court… You can’t do that with him… You got to zigzag him. You got to get to bed at night for that man, dog!
“We been gracious to be in the MJ era, we been gracious to be in the Kob era, even Shaq, Shaq changed the game… Man come on, man. This man has changed the game. He made every guard think they got range.”
Garnett is very passionate about the subject, just as he is with most of the things he does in life. And his point on Curry is a very valid one. Curry’s legacy is changing the way basketball is played entirely. After an argument like that, it’s hard to disagree with KG that Steph isn’t among the 10 best players of all time.