The year 2018 was quite eventful for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, led by Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, won their third championship in four years. After that, they signed DeMarcus Cousins over the summer, and the team looked deadlier than ever. With Steph, KD, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the roster, the Warriors were clearly the most dominant team in the league.
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With the Dubs being the greatest show in the basketball world, they sure were to attract other stars to witness their greatness as well. Former FC Barcelona star Neymar Jr was among the ones to come and witness their Finals dominance.
At the same time, Neymar Jr knew something about dominant teams himself. Playing with Lionel Messi and Luiz Suarez at FC Barcelona, the Brazilian pro had his own share of winning with a Big 3.
In the summer of 2018, the Players Tribune organized a one-of-a-kind interview of the two superstars.
Stephen Curry shares the moment he knew he wanted to go to the NBA
Growing up with a dad in the NBA, Stephen Curry knew what the life of a professional athlete was. He knew all the attention and scrutiny that comes along, but his love for the sport was much greater. When the interviewer asked the two when they knew they want to play for a living, Steph went first and answered,
“That moment for me, when I knew basketball was going to be my life … I was six years old, playing in a rec league in North Carolina, where I grew up. And there was probably 15 people in the stands. There was a two-on-one fast break and I had the ball. And the defender came over to guard me, and instead of like making normal a chest pass or bounce pass, or a regular layup, I like jumped in the air, and then did like this 360 behind-my-back pass. It was right on target, and my teammate, he laid it up. And all 15 fans in the crowd went crazy.”
“And, obviously, it was pretty muted. But that was the moment that my creativity kind of came out and I knew there was going to be that type of reaction. So, I knew at that point that basketball was fun for me and I loved to do it, so … that was it.”
The wizardry we see on the court nowadays has been there since Steph was as young as six years old. It’s amazing to see how he stuck with his passion and it’s great that he did. If not, we would’ve missed out on the greatest show in basketball and the greatest shooter of all time.
The entire interview can be caught here.
Also Read: After Going ‘Bankrupt’ Dennis Rodman had to Sell his 1959 Cadillac Convertible for $70,655
Steph exchanged jerseys with Lionel Messi
In 2021, Neymar Jr’s FC Barcelona teammate, Lionel Messi parted ways with the Spanish club after years of association. He joined his former running mate Neymar at Paris Saint-Germain F.C. Since Neymar already had taken up Messi’s iconic #10, the legend had to choose another jersey number.
He took on #30, something which seemed to impress Stephen Curry a lot. He took it to Twitter and shared the two stars exchanging jerseys.
