“I Don’t Leave The Gym Until I Swish 5 Free Throws”: Stephen Curry, At Kobe Bryant’s Skills Academy, Set An Otherworldly Precedent For Himself

When many talk about the greatest shooter of all time, one name immediately pops up – Steph Curry. His ability to score the basketball is unprecedented and something nobody has ever seen. However, according to motivational speaker and coach Alan Stein Jr., there is a reason why he has been so successful in his career. While giving a speech to a college basketball team, the coach narrated a story attributing Curry’s accomplishments to his work ethic.

Stein Jr. shared a post on Instagram where he narrated a story dated back to 2007, during the Kobe Bryant Skills Academy. Curry was a participant in the program, along with players like DeMar DeRozan. The coach who was also at the academy says, “At the end of the first workout at the skills academy, he[Curry] came up to me, he tapped me and said ‘Coach will you rebound for me? Because I don’t leave the gym until I swish five free throws in a row’.”

 

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Curry was just a young college prospect at the time, yet had an idea of what it took to become the best shooter of all time. Alan Stein Jr. talked about Curry insisting on swishing his free throws as well. Even if one hit the rim and went in, he restarted the count.

The coach was in awe of the Golden State Warriors guard and said, “So you guys believe he is the greatest shooter on the planet, I agree with you, but it’s not by accident and it’s not by luck. It’s because he is willing to hold himself to a higher standard.” That was the level of precedent Curry held himself to, which would later result in four NBA championships, alongside many more achievements at the highest level.

Steph Curry and his exceptional work ethic

In the basketball fraternity, a common discussion point among coaches and players is the work ethic displayed by Stephen Curry. His teammate Draymond Green talked about it in ‘Podcast P with Paul George’ and said, “He in the weight room after shootaround. He in the weight room before the game. He doing a full lift after [the game]. A significant part of his workout, he can’t shoot a shot unless he run a full-court sprint. Man, it takes somebody two and half hours to do a workout, he would do in 30 minutes.”

He also referred to unnamed players failing to keep up with him. The story goes that some of them threw up in the first half an hour of their session with the Warriors star. Fans have seen his immaculate pre-game routine, which has become somewhat of a spectacle in itself.

Be it dribbling multiple balls or making consecutive shots from all over the floor. If anyone has watched Steph Curry play, they already know about his non-stop movement on the basketball floor. However, over the years, the two-time NBA MVP has added muscle to his hustle, which has helped him take on stronger defenders, taking his game to all-new heights.

Even the great Kobe Bryant appreciated Curry in his own way. In an interview, the Mamba said,” I see a calmness about him, and I think it’s something that a lot of players don’t understand. I think it is very hard for the fans to really understand what I am saying cause most players don’t get it. But there is a serious calmness about him which is extremely deadly.”

Nobody was ever able to express how Stephen Curry’s demeanor makes him so deadly quite like Kobe Bryant did here pic.twitter.com/qh91PCK5su

— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) August 15, 2023

Having been the epitome of hard work, if there was one thing the Los Angeles Lakers legend appreciated, it was someone who has a relentless work ethic. Watching him during the Kobe Bryant Skills Academy gave him a first-hand view of the greatness that was taking birth. Coming into the league as a small underrated player with questions about his ability to play in the big leagues, Steph Curry has now shown the world how a strong work ethic can result in achieving greatness.