Stephen Curry’s outstanding performances, especially in the semi-final and final, helped Team USA secure its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal. Following this remarkable run, Colin Cowherd recently weighed in, outlining the once-in-a-lifetime brilliance of the Splash Brother.
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On Herd, the NBA analyst compared the Golden State Warriors talisman to iconic figures like Magic Johnson and LeBron James. He discussed how these era-defining players could never replicate Curry’s exceptional gameplay. Cowherd soon added to the point guard’s greatness by citing him as the biggest contributor to the nation’s gold medal-winning campaign.
“Take out Magic Johnson and he [Stephen Curry] is by far and away the best point guard ever. Only Magic is close and Magic couldn’t score like this… LeBron [James] is the great Swiss Army knife in basketball. He can duplicate almost anything. But he can’t do what Steph does… There is only one guy and only one reason Team USA won the gold and it’s not LeBron, it’s Steph”.
“The shots he takes would be audacious looking for everybody in the league… Nobody can duplicate it.”@ColinCowherd on Steph Curry propelling Team USA to gold pic.twitter.com/U6Dq3DsIet
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) August 12, 2024
The accolades are well-deserved, considering Curry‘s profound impact and enduring influence on the game. Despite initial challenges in his NBA career, the 6’2″ maestro found his rhythm in the early 2010s. His extraordinary shooting range, precision, and consistency soon redefined basketball, driving the Warriors to four championship victories.
In the process, the 36-year-old broke numerous records. During the 2015–16 season, he scored 402 three-pointers, the most ever by an NBA player in a single season. Then, in December 2021, Curry surpassed Ray Allen’s record of 2,973 three-pointers, becoming the player with the most career threes (3,747).
All these validated Cowherd’s remarks while pointing to the uniqueness of the 10x All-Star. Consequently, he put Curry on a distinct pedestal while acknowledging his brilliance. Referencing Johnson and James, he thus explained how their greatness, while significant, couldn’t match Curry’s unparalleled shooting prowess.
After all, the world witnessed Curry’s prowess in the Paris Olympics’ final two games. Shooting 20-of-32 from the field and hitting 65.4% from beyond the arc, he scored 60 points against semi-finalist Serbia and finalist France. This smoothened the nation’s path to gold while sparking widespread debates about his legacy.
With all said and done, Warriors fans would hope for Curry to maintain this form in the upcoming season. After reviving Team USA on the global stage, they expect him to bring the same success to the franchise. This undoubtedly increased the pressure on his shoulders, with the world now keeping an even closer eye on each of his steps.