Cowboys’ Parsons slams Acho for ranking Curry low in his top 10 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Retired NFL veteran and current Fox Sports 1 analyst Emmanuel Acho shared a list of his top 10 active NBA players if everyone were at their peak in an X post on Tuesday.
Acho irritated many, particularly Dub Nation and Steph Curry fans, after ranking the superstar Warriors guard fifth, with LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant rounding out the top four in order, and Nikola Jokić, Anthony Edwards, Anthony Davis, Luka Dončić and Russell Westbrook trailing Curry in order.
Acho rightfully received some responses from those he agitated. And one respondee, surprisingly, was Dallas Cowboys star edge rusher Micah Parsons, who called out Acho in support of Golden State’s sharpshooting future Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer.
“I’m sorry, not having Curry first is disrespectful!” Parsons wrote on X.
Arguments for first place can be made for any of the players Acho listed.
However, NBA fans like Parsons who have paid attention to Curry’s illustrious 16-year Warriors career – consisting of four championships, two NBA MVP awards, 11 NBA All-Star nods, 10 All-NBA nods and a spot on the league’s 75th Anniversary Team – know how irreplaceable he is to Golden State and the success he has – and still can – brought the franchise when at his best; Curry’s case looms even larger, once considering how the Warriors miss him dearly in the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
And that’s before mentioning how Curry forever changed basketball with his transformative 3-point shooting prowess, unlike any of the great players on Acho’s list.
Nonetheless, Acho insisted on dying on his hill, even defending his take on Curry in response to Parsons.
“In their prime: LeBron, Kawhi, Giannis are all DPOY caliber players,” Acho wrote on X at Parsons. “Steph may be the most skilled offensively, but to say he’s better than any 2-way player (in their prime) is outta pocket.”
And when questioned by a commenter about his logic and how he placed Durant over Curry, Acho tripled down.
“Great question – I prefer Steph to KD, personally,” Acho replied. “However, prime KD (championship runs) was actually an impactful defensive player (blocks, steals, boards). Steph has always been someone you attack defensively, even in his prime.”
Curry, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, might not be the caliber of defender that the other players mentioned in Acho’s list are. But the initial question Acho answered with his top-10 list was about the NBA’s best active players at their peaks.
And there’s no doubt Curry is one of, if not the, NBA’s best at his apex.
“If you wanted to say Steph, trust me, I won’t argue with you,” Acho replied to another X user. “This a really good convo that I don’t have enough characters for.”
Acho did have enough characters to rank Curry fifth, though.
