Very few people envisioned Stephen Curry becoming a two-time NBA MVP when the Golden State Warriors drafted him with the seventh overall pick in 2009, and it took a few years before he really become a star. For Warriors general manager Bob Myers, there was one moment in particular that proved Curry was the type of player that doesn’t come around very often.
Wednesday marked the 11-year anniversary of the Warriors drafting Curry, and Myers joined 95.7 The Game for “Steph Curry Appreciation Day.” During his interview, Myers revealed that he knew Curry was “different” when the former Davidson star buried a three-pointer on one leg during Game 2 of the 2013 Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs.
“He came off a screen at the top and he took a one-footed 3-point shot — in the halfcourt,” Myers said, as transcribed by Drew Shiller of NBC Sports Bay Area. “I looked at Travis (Schlenk) — our assistant GM at the time — and said, ‘Did he just shoot that off one foot?’ It looked so natural. I said, ‘This guy is different, man.'”
Myers said that was the moment he became convinced Curry was more than just a great NBA player.
“That is so unusual and the way he did it. There’s a difference between being great and transcendent,” Myers added. “There are a lot of great players in the NBA, but then there’s the ones like Steph that go beyond that category.”
You can see a video of the circus shot below. Like so many other insanely difficult shots he has hit throughout his career, Curry made it look easy.
In Game 2 against the Spurs in 2013, Steph Curry made a one-legged 3-pointer (check out Richard Jefferson’s reaction at the 15-second mark of this video ) pic.twitter.com/Vil8C9vwHe
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) June 25, 2020
Myers joined Golden State’s front office in 2011, and he has no problem admitting he was “lucky” to inherit such a special talent like Curry. Being able to build around an MVP-caliber player helped the Warriors win three NBA championships and become one of the premier franchises in sports.
Curry has battled a number of injuries over the past year, but the Warriors should bounce back quickly if he’s healthy entering next season.
