How much do we really know about Steph Curry? He’s the reigning, back-to-back MVP. Hero of Vines. Catalyst for Twitter meltdowns. Sure, he has an adorable daughter, and can capably anchor an entertaining SportsCenter ad.
But he’s also a bit more reserved, off-the-court. It’s incongruous, really, that the man who has zero qualms about launching a 40-footer at any given time, or celebrating a shot’s success before the peak of its arc, could also be so soft-spoken.
Which version is closer to the real Steph?
That’s a tough question, but maybe if we get more profiles like this one, from The Wall Street Journal, we’ll get closer to the truth.
The whole thing is well-worth reading, covering things like Curry’s various investments in start-up companies, his endorsements, his burgeoning social media empire, and much more. But there are two sections that stand out. The interview predates the season, and he had prescient thoughts thoughts on potential early-season growing pains for the Warriors in the face of absurd expectations:
Curry can’t help but laugh at all the hyperbole. “Everyone’s calling us a super team and this and that, and talking about 82–0 or that we will beat 73 wins,” he says. “The questions we get asked are ridiculous.
“We’re going to lose games,” he continues. “We’re going to have struggles. There’s a patience that has to happen.” Curry’s words sound wise after opening night, when they are surprisingly blown out by San Antonio.
That he saw it coming is no surprise. Though in the end it will almost certainly be a massive upgrade, the 2015-16 Warriors were a machine honed to a degree the league hadn’t ever seen before. It was a historic display of team basketball. Any change was going to require an adjustment period, and any adjustment from the peak of the sport was going to be down. Plus, as we learned, “struggles” for the Warriors aren’t exactly the same as “struggles” for regular teams; they’re now 16-2, riding a 12-game winning streak.
The other highlight involves a discussion on Curry’s plans for free agency:
There’s also this: Curry himself will be a free agent next summer. Though Curry has been one of the most underpaid stars of the past few years and is due for a significant and deserved raise, it’s difficult to think of him leaving Golden State. Although he says “curveballs happen all the time,” it should relieve millions of people in the Bay Area that Curry feels that he is home. “It’s hard to see myself anywhere else,” he says.
It’s not really a stretch to say Curry leaving would be a bigger surprise than LeBron leaving Cleveland for Miami. It’s hard to fathom a better match between franchise and superstar than this, whether it be fellow superstars in place, quality role players, fantastic coaching, or the playing style. Even geography works; as the piece notes, Curry has been involved with multiple tech and social media startups.
What the piece can’t answer, though, is which version of Curry is closer to the real him. Is it the devout husband and father, committed to hard work and diverse, upscale interests? Or is it the on-court killer, who isn’t afraid to shoot from anywhere, at any moment? Who doesn’t hesitate to tell you or show you how much better he is at any given point?
It’s not answerable from afar, obviously. If forced to guess, though, there’s a piece of basketball-related wisdom from a song about playground ball that has always rung true. And probably most true for those who play the game at the highest levels.
Everybody knows how you play is who you are.
[WSJ]
