There comes a time in everyone’s life when they are doubted for something. And Stephen Curry, two-time NBA MVP, is no different. When you are considered to be one of the best shooters to ever play the game, there are bound to be some haters. Greats like LeBron James have even been in the news recently for doubting Stephen Curry’s talent. But when you lead a team to win a championship, coincidentally over LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers, and then return to make history with 73 wins, those haters look a bit silly. But this is not the only time that Curry has been doubted.
Before Stephen Curry gained recognition at Davidson College, he was interested in following in his father's, Dell Curry's, footsteps by attending Virginia Tech University, but Virginia Tech had other ideas. Because of Stephen’s slender frame, Virginia Tech only offered him a walk-on position. With that proposition on the table, Stephen decided to take his talents to Davidson, a school that had been interested in him since the 10th grade—they saw Curry’s potential and he definitely delivered. He finished his final season as the NCAA scoring leader averaging 28.6 points per game and was named first-team All-American.
After opting out of his senior year, Stephen was selected as the seventh overall pick in 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. In that season, he finished behind Tyreke Evans in Rookie of the Year voting.
After a few years in the league, the doubters began to get louder. During the 2011-12 season, Curry was plagued with ankle injuries, causing him to only appear in 26 regular season games. Sports commentators and writers thought of Curry as a risk to the Warriors team and were shocked when the Warriors reconstructed his contract prior to the 2012-13 season. Then Steph’s “glow up” happened.
During the 2014-15 season, the Golden State Warriors were on a roll. They topped the west with 67 wins that season, and many believed that Curry was the leader behind those wins—with the team’s help of course. Curry obtained the most votes of any player for the All-Star Game and won the Three-Point Contest. Curry broke his record for three-pointers made in a season and later knocked LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers down a peg, or two, by winning the NBA Championship, helping the Warriors achieve their first title in 40 years. Oh, Curry also won MVP that season.
This season, Curry has broken his three-point record again. As stated above, he also led the Warriors to a history-making 73 wins in the regular season. Curry was also the seventh player in NBA history to complete a season with 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from beyond the arc, and 90 percent from the free throw line. On top of it all, he was voted as the first ever unanimous pick for the NBA most valuable player, and the first guard to win back to back MVP awards since Steve Nash.
All of this shows that even when there is doubt there is room to succeed—and to succeed beyond anyone’s wildest imagination. Curry has exceeded all expectations, and he did so because he has the will to win and tremendous work ethic. When asked what’s next for him, he says to be better than he is now. And this can only happen if he continues to ignore the haters as he has been doing for the past two years. Congratulations, Steph—now go win another championship to cap off this tremendous season.
