If there were people that still doubted Stephen Curry’s greatness before last season, he’s settled nearly every doubt about him now. The Golden State Warriors superstar finally clinched a Finals MVP along with his 4th championship last season. And for those that might have contested his mantle as the greatest shooter in NBA history, he shut them up by passing Ray Allen’s record for the most made three-pointers.
Curry has risen drastically in people’s standings of all-time great NBA players thanks to his latest exploits, and this doesn’t just include NBA fans. Players that would have a case to be included in that list also have Curry included ahead of themselves on the list of the best players to grace the league. Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal are included among those that have lavished the highest praise upon Steph.
Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Dwyane Wade, And Kevin Garnett All Rate Stephen Curry Very Highly
Curry’s impact on the game goes far beyond just the accolades he has won, it’s the way he has changed the game that has led to him being so high on everyone’s list. And the 4 aforementioned legends have recently said some truly amazing things about him.
The real ones 💯 pic.twitter.com/dTmPxsS2bu
— CurryMuse (@Curry_Muse) October 16, 2022
Shaquille O’Neal was on ESPN’s First Take talking about Curry and included him in the same company as himself as well as the likes of LeBron James and Kobe Bryant as Top 10 players.
“Does that make him top 10? In my opinion, it does. I love the way he plays the game, he plays it with great energy and great passion. And you knew that as great as a player he is that he was gonna have a game like that. That’s what great players do.”
Allen Iverson was ahead of the curve on this one, his take isn’t even recent, but he named Curry in his All-Time starting 5 in 2018.
“(PG) Steph Curry
(SG) Michael Jordan
(SG) Kobe Bryant
(F) LeBron James
(C) Shaquille O’Neal”
Dwyane Wade’s take narrowed Curry down to the Top 4 all-time, as he dubbed the Warriors superstar as someone that belongs on the NBA’s Mount Rushmore.
“But I guess I went with Steph because Steph has kind of revolutionized the sport you know. He’s one of those Mount Rushmores from the sense of changing the game the way he has.”
And Kevin Garnett has perhaps the highest praise for Curry out of any of these former legends, calling him the Michael Jordan of the current NBA era.
“He’s playing with the Michael Jordan of his era (referring to Curry),” Garnett says. “The knowledge that he takes not just from Steve Kerr and that coaching staff but that pedigree of excellence that they push around there in Golden State.”
It is saying something that all these NBA legends regard Curry so highly, there can be no doubting the esteem he is held in within NBA circles. And Steph has a chance to add to his legacy and cement his position as a Top 10 player of all time without a doubt, his career is far from over.