When you’re being compared to arguably the best player in NBA history, you’re already on the path to greatness and immortality. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr recently addressed the comparisons between Stephen Curry and Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan.
Sitting down for the radio show, Willard and Dibs, Kerr provided his perspective from the unique lens of having played with one of these legends and having coached the other one for most of his career.
“Well, you know, the first comparisons come when we’re pulling into the arena, last night, and there’s a line of people getting ready to go through the gates, and most of them have Steph Curry jerseys on. That’s what I remember about Chicago. Everyone on the road had a Jordan jersey on,” Kerr recalled.
Curry is being celebrated yet again because of his back-to-back exceptional performances against the San Antonio Spurs. The ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’ had consecutive 45+ point games.
In the first matchup against the Spurs, he scored 46 points, shooting 52% from the field and 32% from the three-point line.
In the second game, he upped it by scoring 49 points, shooting 61.5% from the field, and 52.9% from the three-point line, making nine three-pointers in the game. If it weren’t for Curry’s magic, the Spurs could’ve taken this close game.
“These two guys transcend the sport; they transcend home team, road team. People just wanna root for these guys, whether it is Jordan or Steph. It’s just an incredible aura about them, no matter what arena you’re in, they are the center of attention,” Kerr added.
Curry has joined Jordan as only the second player in NBA history, 37 years of age or older, to score 45+ points in back-to-back games. He’s also tied the former Bulls superstar for the most 40+ games after turning 30, at 44 games each.
In the two games against the Spurs, Curry showed off his absurdly superior scoring skills. The young Spurs team was playing aggressively, led by their star Victor Wembanyama. But all of their strengths and advantages were neutralized by Curry’s masterful shooting and scoring.
“Both guys really love that. They love the challenge. They love the game. They never want to disappoint anybody. They were both well aware that a lot of people were coming to see them for the only time in their lives… They want to put on a show,” Kerr said.
“Each of them has been a phenomenon in the league at different times. Fun to see how it changes over the years and how the game has changed. But it’s still these individuals who can just carry so much weight for the league,” he added.
Curry has entered his 17th season, but he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Michael Jordan played 434 regular-season games after turning 30 years of age, while Curry has played 357 till now, and already he’s tied Jordan in multiple categories. The pace and prowess with which Curry is still playing, and the way older athletes have been able to navigate health in the last few years, suggest that he easily has a few good seasons left in him.
And even in retirement, he wants to walk the path that Jordan paved. But till then, Curry is showing his fans and his teammates that they can trust him, he’s still got it, and only continues to get better by adding the value of experience to his insane abilities and work ethic.
He’s got it covered for the Warriors. The other parts around him are still figuring themselves out, and their head coach is leading that charge from the front, but Curry needs no figuring out. He’s played an elevated game since the early days in his career, and he’s still showing up with the same energy.
