On Dec. 8, 2015, Stephen Curry was interviewed by ESPN The Magazine about his performance following an undefeated 22 games of play. In this interview arose the question, "Are you trying to top MJ as the greatest of all time?" This was followed with an answer by Curry of, "Yeah. Why else would I be playing? You want to be the best you can be. And if the best you can be is better than him, then why not?" Although this may be the mentality of a lot of elite players in the NBA, there are specific reasons to why Curry's association with the GOAT label is untimely. Fast forward 34 games later, and we find ourselves running into the same conversations once more; nonetheless, I have provided the reasoning behind my sentiment.

1. His birth name is actually Wardell.

So, when hearing Wardell as “one of the Splash Brothers,” I tend to think of a Pokémon rather than someone who broke their own NBA single-season record for three-pointers made on Feb. 27, 2016 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The previous record was 286 total three-pointers made in a single season. After Saturday’s bout, Curry now sits at a total of 288 after his 56^th game (68 percent of the 2015-16 NBA season). Not only did Curry break his own record on during this game, but he also tied with Donyell Marshall and retiring Kobe Bryant with a record of 12 made three-pointers in a single game. It also becomes apparent that the tying record three-pointer made was a game-winning shot leading the Golden State Warriors to a 121-118 overtime victory. This game also made Curry the only player in NBA history to make 10 three-pointers in successive games (he went 10 for 15 against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Feb. 25).

2. Weak Ankles

For all the times that he has broken an opposing player’s ankles, he himself has been embarrassed by a few non-GOAT contenders, including Eric Gordon and Brandon Jennings in 2010, a seasoned, 38-year-old Jason Terry in 2014, and in this year’s NBA season, 19-year-old NBA rookie Emmanuel Mudiay.

Not to mention that Curry’s ankles have proven to be the most concerning part of his body throughout his entire career. Coincidentally, the game on Saturday in which he set such tremendous records, his ankle had been injured by opposing guard Russell Westbrook with about 11 minutes left in the third quarter. Ouch!

3. Eh...he's actually pretty good!

In all honesty, he may be even better than pretty good if we take into account his actual stats.

In 56 games played, Curry has averaged 7.3 three-pointers made per 100 possessions, shooting at a Field Goal percentage of 51.5 percent (50.5 percent 25-29 feet away from the hoop with a total of 55 threes made from this distance). In comparison to the real GOAT, Michael Jordan, Curry actually has a higher offensive Box Plus/Minus meaning that he contributes to his team’s box score success more than Jordan per 100 possessions. This is similar to Curry’s tied win shares per 48 minutes with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

However, these stats mostly point to one thing, offense. Since I believe this to be true, I can only agree with one possibly foreshadowed claim. Wardell Curry quite possible might be the best shooter of all time, and not the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. I say this because this year has shown what it seems to be the entire basketball community prematurely making him out to be something that he has not yet proven, similarly to what has been seen with Cleveland Cavaliers’ Forward LeBron James in previous years. It wasn’t until the modest sharpshooter Wardell Curry went on a shooting spree in the recent years that we started seeing a transition from LBJ vs. MJ to Curry vs. Every Player, and when these types of quarrels are being promoted, I tend to lose faith in genuine support for the NBA. I am very hesitant to say Curry will be the greatest player, but what has been proven is that shooting records are consistently being shattered by him. Unless he breaks every record established, I say let us wait and see what Wardell becomes.

The following are quotes from notable players following Saturday’s performance by Curry:

@StephenCurry30 needs to stop it man!! He's ridiculous man! Never before seen someone like him in the history of ball!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) February 28, 2016

If @StephenCurry30's game winning 3-pointer doesn't prove he's the greatest shooter we've ever seen, I don't know what will!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) February 28, 2016

Never seen anything like SCurry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 28, 2016