DLo shares unique mentality that makes Steph his favorite NBA player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
There are several reasons why Warriors superstar Steph Curry is one of the greatest players to have graced the NBA.
While shooting usually is the first thing people think of when it comes to the 3-point king, his former teammate D’Angelo Russell revealed a conversation he had with Draymond Green that enlightened him on just how versatile Curry’s greatness truly is.
Green challenged Russell with one direct question: Do you know why Steph Curry is one of the best players ever?
His shooting? Handles? Conditioning? His off-the-court leadership? No, no, no, and no.
“When you watch all the other stars in the league, they look at the refs, they talk to the refs, they complain to the refs and then they go down the floor and that conversation they had may have dictated the next one,” Russell recalled his conversation with Green on “The Backyard Podcast with D’Angelo Russell.”
“Steph don’t do that at all. Steph plays the game with this, ‘I don’t need the refs’ mentality. And when you look around the league, who’s doing that? That’s why he gets so much credit. That’s why he’s my favorite player and that’s why I respect him so much. When [Green] broke it down to me like that, I was just like, bro, that’s powerful.”
Curry, frustratingly to him, his teammates and Warriors fans, has been one of the few big-name players in the league not to receive the “superstar whistle” over his 16 NBA seasons.
His teammates and coaches have spoken about it to defend the two-time NBA MVP, with even new Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler, just two months into their partnership, openly discussing how much it infuriates him.
“I’ve never seen an individual get fouled more than he gets fouled,” Butler said on April 6. “To me, I think that’s astounding. But, you know, it’s crazy to say but he’s used to it. It’s been happening to him his whole career, and he’s found a way through it, around it, under it, whatever you want to call it – that’s tough.
“I’m pretty sure it’s been happening for 16 straight years. I get to see it, and it really angers me that he’s on my team and he gets hacked like that.”
A few days later, Green shared on his podcast that he believes Curry’s lack of foul calls partly is his own fault because “he’s not a flopper” and the officials know Curry won’t argue.
Curry also called the situation his “reality” as he’s set to enter Year 17.
And even without the friendly whistle, Curry certainly has still made his impact on the game forever.
