“Stephen Curry Almost Beat Me…”: When 7 Y/O Steph Got the Best of Former NBA Player

Stephen Curry had the advantage of being the son of an NBA legend father who was a premier marksman in the NBA before it was cool to be a sharpshooter. Therefore, Curry learnt the basics of shooting at an early age from his father, Dell Curry. Steph also got the opportunity to play with NBA players as a kid because of his father’s job.

But to get the best of a former NBA player when you haven’t even touched adolescence is simply impossible. Although Steph did something quite similar once.

When Eddie Johnson appeared for an interview with PHNX Sports recently, he shared the story of his one-on-one matchup with a 7-year-old Steph back in the day. Playing outside in the drive yard, Johnson recalled almost losing to the future sharpshooter when he was still an NBA player with the Hornets.

“I’m like, ‘Hold up’ and he’s used to the outside rim. You know outside rim, dawg, kinda bent, wind blowing and it going in. Man, I look up. We playing a game to 10, this dude up seven-nothing. I said, ‘Hold up now.’ I’m in the NBA and I was the top shooters in the game, okay?… Man, I went old-man style on him. I started backing him down and laying it up.”

Johnson played in the league for over 17 years and averaged 47.2% from the field, 33.5% from the three, and 84% from the free throw line. So, the 17-year veteran certainly was among the top shooters in the league.

However, a clanky rim that favored one side ended up working wonders for a young Steph. Though Johnson was an NBA veteran at the time, the hard-blowing wind and the rim almost resulted in a blowout.

Steph was up 7-0, about to finish the game, along with Johnson’s bragging rights. And as soon as the then Hornets guard realized he was about to lose, the former Sixth Man resorted to old-man tactics to gain the upper hand.

“​​Yes @StephenCurry30 almost beat me when he was 7 years old in his driveway when I was a member of the @hornets I went to old man basketball and backed him down. True story.”

Yes @StephenCurry30 almost beat me when he was 7 years old in his driveway when I was a member of the @hornets I went to old man basketball and backed him down. True story https://t.co/vPTNps3Wck

— Eddie A Johnson (@Jumpshot8) August 16, 2024

Johnson played for the Hornets for a single season back in 1994, sharing the court with Steph’s father, Dell. The two guards ended up forming a strong bond with one another. Both players met each other’s families in that brief season, and they continue to cherish the bond they built around that time.