Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki and now Stephen Curry are all completely different players on the basketball court.
They play opposing positions, possess different styles and project various personalities in their locker rooms. However, with all these differences they all share one common characteristic – their ability to monumentally change the game of basketball.
During the time of each of these players prime popularity they each brought something unique to the table.
Allen Iverson was ‘The Answer’, rocked unparalleled cornrows, and carried himself with a street-style and a “me against the world” persona that everyone noticed and adored.
Michael Jordan is arguably the most marketable person on the planet and the most noticeable face and name in the sports industry.
He owns a billion dollar shoe company and majority control of the Charlotte Hornets, causing his name to remain in the public eye more than a decade after he retired.
Kobe Bryant is debatably the only player that can be compared to Michael Jordan in playstyle, so of course his influence is worldwide. He has reached European countries and is practically a legend in China.
Lastly, Dirk may not be as marketable as the others with his laid back attitude, but he has altered the way basketball is played for a man of his stature. Young 7-footers no longer find themselves in the paint grabbing boards, trying to perfect their left and right hooks.
They watch Nowitzki shooting from beyond the three-point arc and want to emulate the actions of the German.
All these players have already made their mark in NBA history and in the hearts and minds of the millions that play basketball around the world.
They have all made strong impressions on their fans and influenced the game greatly, and after winning his first NBA Championship in 2015, Stephen Curry is swiftly on his way to having that same influence.
Miami started a trend back in the 2012-2013 season of small ball where Chris Bosh, originally a power forward, played the five and excelled at it.
However, Golden State took small ball to a whole new level and dawned a line-up with no player taller than 6-foot-8.
Their strategy worked wonders, leading to their eventual championship win against the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. However, his team’s influence of super small-ball on the game of basketball is only the beginning.
Curry accomplished an extremely impressive feat of winning the Most Valuable Player Award in the 2014-2015 season as a guard.
Guards winning the award is highly uncommon and hasn’t been done since Derrick Rose in 2010.
His achievement displayed to young guards that is possible to be a smaller player and reach greatness without being super fast or uber-athletic.
Curry isn’t the biggest guard at 6’3 and isn’t the strongest at 190, nonetheless with his limitations he is able to break countless records.
He set the record for most made three-pointers in a regular season in the 2012-2013 season, then to top his own performance he broke it again in the 2014-2015 season.
He also owns the record for most made three-point field goals in the playoffs at 59, topping former Indiana Pacers guard Reggie Miller’s record.
Additionally, he isn’t among the elite yet in career three-pointers made sitting at No.45 with 1,235, but he is creeping up on his father Dell Curry’s spot of No.42 with 1,245 made threes.
In an era of basketball where mid-range jumpers are discouraged, Steph Curry is leading the charge of taking his shots behind the arc. Last season he excelled with a mindset of “if a play breaks down, I’ll just pull it back out for three”, and this season he came with the same idea.
Curry is showing in an age where guards are getting bigger and longer that one can still excel at the position with less height than others.
Curry is the face of the combo guard position currently and will maintain this honor as long as his jumper keeps falling and his handle is equally as amazing. With both of those aspects of his game still in tact, every ball player at parks and gyms will continue to scream “Curry!” when they rise up for a shot behind the three-point line.
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