Stephen Curry Is Basketball's Biggest Hope
Maxim|March 2016

Stephen Curry is basketball’s biggest hope.

Ben McGrath
Stephen Curry Is Basketball's Biggest Hope

Here is a personal sportswriting philosophy, which works pretty well in life itself: Think first of your wife or your girlfriend, if not your mother. What would it take to make her care about, say, the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors? (Apologies to the women out there who already know Stephen Curry’s pregame rituals—the double-handed Globetrotter routine, the balls airmailed from the tunnel—by heart.) You might start, as I have, with the press conferences last May, during the playoffs, when he not only cheerfully propped his then two-year-old daughter, Riley, on his lap, but allowed her to speak for all of us who have ever found postgame jock talk tedious. (“Be quiet, Daddy. Be quiet!”) Next, something more recent: Warriors-Cavs, a rematch of last year’s finals, in mid-January. It’s late in the first quarter, and there’s LeBron James, all headband and elbow sleeve, towering over our man and shoving him to the floor in frustration. Don’t feel bad for Dad. Notice the scoreboard: Golden State is already up by a dozen. Now rewind 15 or 20 seconds and you’ll see what has the King so frustrated. Our Warrior hero casually bounces the ball through center court. He takes a couple of quick steps to the left—and then suddenly, disrespecting the three-point line and before a defender can engage him, he chucks it toward the hoop from at least 30 feet out. Swish. His specialty is lobbing bombs—sometimes from farther out still, sometimes without bothering to watch them fall—almost as if on a dare. Until Steph Curry came along, you would have called a person who exhibits such behavior uncoachable. Now you call him the best basketball player in the world.

This story is from the March 2016 edition of Maxim.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 2016 edition of Maxim.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MAXIMView All
Enzo on the Silver Screen
Maxim US

Enzo on the Silver Screen

Michael Mann’s new biopic of Enzo Ferrari starring Adam Driver is set to make the legend burn even brighter

time-read
6 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
Some Like it HОТ
Maxim US

Some Like it HОТ

We piloted Ferrari's fantastie new open-topped grand tourer through the craggy hills of Sardinia

time-read
5 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
THE LEGEND OF ENZO
Maxim US

THE LEGEND OF ENZO

DURING HIS LIFETIME FERRARI FORGED THE ENTIRE PANTHEON OF MOTORSPORTS

time-read
7 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
THIS SIDE of PARADISE
Maxim US

THIS SIDE of PARADISE

A landmark new exhibition of Ellen von Unwerth’s work is suitably playful and provocative

time-read
2 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA IN BELIZE 10-MS
Maxim US

FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA IN BELIZE 10-MS

The famed director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now tells us why the Central American country has captured one of the world's greatest imaginations,

time-read
4 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
WEAPONS of WICK
Maxim US

WEAPONS of WICK

Meet master engraver Melissa McMinn, who created Keanu Reeves’ dueling pistols for the hit franchise

time-read
4 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
SUDDENLY This SUMMER
Maxim US

SUDDENLY This SUMMER

Model, influencer and actress Summer Soderstrom is the blonde bombshell we're keeping our eye on

time-read
2 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
VIVA LAS VEGAS
Maxim US

VIVA LAS VEGAS

We wade into the spectacle that was the reborn Las Vegas Grand Prix

time-read
3 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
DRINKING La DOLCE VITA
Maxim US

DRINKING La DOLCE VITA

From pioneering distilling methods to the massive success of Martini Racing, the story of the most iconic name in aperitifs

time-read
5 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024
FIVE-STAR STYLE
Maxim US

FIVE-STAR STYLE

With an impressive roster of ultra-high-net-worth clients, i design powerhouse Rigby Rigby is making waves Bei on the Riviera and beyond

time-read
4 mins  |
Jan Feb 2024