LeBron James has always been polarizing. Kobe Bryant had his fair share of detractors, and Michael Jordan was disliked for obvious reasons.
Stephen Curry, though, is arguably the most universally beloved superstar in history. He is humble like Tim Duncan but equally a showman like Magic Johnson. Off the court, he’s a role model and standup citizen, and on it, he is a must-see on TV, as evidenced by Warriors games, which always garner the highest ratings.
The NBA does not need to construct the perfect superstar in a lab. It already has Curry. And the Warriors star continues to prove why he’s as beloved as he is. In a recent interview with NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Dubs Talk,” Curry admitted that the only reason he’s still playing basketball at age 36 is to chase a fifth championship.
“Honestly, it’s the only thing I’m really playing for at this point,” Curry said of his pursuit of a fifth NBA title. “It’s the only thing that matters in the sense of accomplishment.”
Curry admitted he’s driven by greed to equal Bryant, Duncan and Johnson with a fifth championship.
“…In the historical realm of basketball, there is another level. You talk about five-time champions and beyond that. It’s a good place to start from, but I definitely want to get greedy.”
Most aging superstars would give the cookie-cutter answer that they’re playing for “the love” of the sport or the grind of it all. That’s not to suggest they would be dishonest — every athlete is driven by their motivation to play into their late 30s. However, it’s refreshing when an athlete admits to being greedy as a justification to hang around. It’s human. It’s the sort of answer that makes Curry relatable.
Another reason Curry will go down as the most beloved superstar ever is that he’s ring-chasing without ring-chasing, meaning he’s sticking it out with Golden State when he could have taken his talents elsewhere to form a superteam.
And even when his front office was blasted this summer for cutting back on spending — letting Klay Thompson walk and not overpaying for stars in trades — he kept his faith in the franchise that drafted him in 2009.
Curry’s faith has paid off in a big way through the first month of the new season. The Warriors (11-3) are rolling.
