Stephen Curry appeared to solidify his legacy after guiding the Warriors to their seventh NBA title in franchise history, but the debate continues to linger.
Golden State took down the Boston Celtics in six games in the 2022 NBA Finals. The title victory put Curry at four championships. And the Warriors have won four NBA titles in seven years, putting the Dubs up for debate as one of the greatest dynasties in league history.
That success also has vaulted Curry into conversations as one of the 10 best players off all time. The case seems to be simple: The 34-year-old has the titles, he is the all-time leader in 3-pointers, and he has been named to eight All-Star games and eight All-NBA teams. Curry will jump into the top 50 in all-time scoring during the 2022-23 season.
But there was some dispute Wednesday between Celtics legends Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett on “All The Smoke” with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson.
“Hell yeah,” Garnett said when asked if Curry is a top 10 player of all time. “Listen, I heard Wilt Chamberlain say this to Michael Jordan… “
“I don’t have him top 10 right now,” Pierce said, chiming in.
“You tripping,” Garnett said as he sat up on his chair. “The man changed the game from where you shoot the ball from, that’s first. Secondly, he does it on a consistent basis. Every guard that’s under (expletive) six foot thinks they’re Steph Curry and can shoot the ball.”
“I still respect the older guys from that era like (Bill) Russell and Wilt,” Pierce said. “That’s a lot of disrespect to them.”
“They still in the top 10,” Garnett said. “I got the two of them in the top 10. When you change the game… the pick-up point on that (expletive) is getting past half (court). … You got to go to bed at night for that man. Lord, we’re gracious to be in the MJ era. We’ve been gracious to have been in the Kobe Bryant era. Even (Shaquille O’Neal), Shaq changed the game. Broke a rim, ripped the backboard, man, come on, man. Man, this man (Curry) has changed the game to make every guard think they got range. They got every guard thinking they got range.”
Pierce certainly isn’t the only former NBA player to not think Curry is worthy of being an all-time great, but his reasoning is questionable. The Celtics legend later noted he still thinks it’s too early to rank Curry among those from the past. It’s a thin argument since Garnett points out Curry’s impact on the game continues to influence the current product as the Warriors guard enters his 14th season.
Golden State is favored to win it all again, and it seems like Curry will have to win his fifth NBA title to continue proving doubters wrong.
