“Hopefully Still in the League”: When Rookie Steph Curry’s 10-Year Plan Fell Way Short of His Actual Achievements

Often, it’s reality that falls short of the dreams and goals one sets for themselves. In the case of Stephen Curry, however, it’s the exact opposite. The Warriors star came into the league with a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Rewinding back to 2009, the NBA’s official YouTube channel posted a clip of Steph when he was a rookie and was asked the typical, ‘Where will you be in 10 years?’ question. He said, “In 10 years I want to be known as a true professional. A guy that played the game the right way. Hopefully still in the league and still effective in the league. Not that many people that last in double-digit years so, it starts now for building a foundation for later down the road.” No championship talks, no MVP hopes, his only dream at the time was to earn respect as an athlete.

He was drafted into the league by the Warriors in 2009 in the first round, as the seventh overall pick. In his rookie year, Steph played 80 games and averaged 17.5 points, 5.9 assists, 1.9 steals, and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 46.2% from the field with an impressive 3PT% of 43.7 as per StatMuse.

With that beginning, he went on to do the unthinkable in the league, quite literally changing the game. Often regarded as the greatest shooter of all time, Steph won three titles in the 2010s and his fourth in 2022. He also won two league MVPs, one Finals MVP, one All-Star MVP, and also made 10 All-Star appearances, as per Basketball Reference.

Stephen Curry claims to be the greatest point guard of all time

Currently in his 15th year in the league, Steph has managed to surpass his own expectations. Even if he didn’t have the confidence at the time or simply didn’t want to overburden himself with expectations, it’s admirable how far he has come. In 942 regular season games that he has played for the Warriors, Steph has averaged 24.8 points, 6.4 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game as per Basketball Reference. And with all of his accomplishments, he can finally claim certain titles in the league that belong to him.

During a conversation with Gilbert Arenas on his Gil’s Arena podcast last year, Steph said that he believes he’s the best point guard of all time. He said, “It’s me and Magic [Johnson]. That’s the conversation.”

When he’s done with a Hall of Fame-worthy career and they roll his rookie tape for him, it’d be interesting to know his thoughts on becoming one of the greatest of all time despite starting as a slightly underconfident rookie.