Stephen Curry is arguably one of the most recognizable players from the modern era of basketball that isn’t named LeBron James. Like LeBron, Curry is a 4-time NBA Champion, winning his fourth ring this summer in the 2022 playoffs. Curry had a sensational run to the title, winning the first Finals MVP of his career.
During the run to the title, Curry started deploying a celebration every time he hit a 3 that would deflate the opponent towards the end of the game. After Steph would hit a deep 3 or a 3 to give the Warriors a big lead, he would do his ‘night-night’ celebration, where he gestures to the crowd to go to sleep. This celebration was used especially in the Finals against the Boston Celtics and has since spread like wildfire around the world.
From soccer players to little children in AAU games, everybody is doing the ‘night-night’ celebration. Steph opened up on the celebration and how it has spread through the sports world to Boardroom.
https://twitter.com/boardroom/status/1560023161793646600
“It’s the best because some are taking it to new extremes that I didn’t even, I would never feel comfortable doing in the league. Alex Morgan was probably my favorite because she had the trophy with her. and hit the night-night. Every time I see it, it makes me crack a smile. It makes me go back to our playoff run and just how powerful sports are as a collective community. Everybody is inspired by what everybody else is doing.”
The NBA has had many celebrations become iconic in recent memory. Russell Westbrook’s ‘rock-a-baby’, James Harden’s ‘stirring the pot’, and LeBron James’s ‘silencer’ celebrations have caught the NBA world by fire prior to this.
Curry is cementing himself as a larger-than-life icon in the basketball world. As he enters his mid-30s and what could be the twilight years of his career, Curry will be focused on having fun on the court and possibly starting more cultural trends like this one.
