Any NBA player can spot out the athletes with a genuine love for the game from the fakes. Take, for example, Hall-of-Fame forward Vince Carter, who immersed himself in basketball from a young age and could tell whenever he was around someone who loved the game. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that it didn’t take long for him to pick up on the passion Stephen Curry had toward the sport as a 10-year-old.
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In 1998, the Toronto Raptors selected Carter with the fifth pick in the 1998 NBA Draft. In his sophomore season, the team began looking to add key players to its supporting cast. One of the main players on Toronto’s radar was Dell Curry.
The 6-foot-4 sharpshooter played his final three seasons in the NBA with the Raptors. His son, Steph, was always present at the team’s facilities, trying to work on his game. It was at that moment that Carter understood there was something different with Steph.
“You could see the love for the game and the passion for the game as a young guy,” Carter revealed in an interview with NBC Sports Bay Area & California.
Carter took Steph under his wing and whenever the youngster craved competition, he would give Curry exactly what he asked for.
“After I worked out before games in Toronto, I would play Steph one-on-one,” Carter said. “Steph would always sit on the side, and he’s like, ‘You ready? You ready? You ready?”
The eight-time All-Star was preparing for an NBA game, but Steph was only worried about their matchup. Of course, Carter had to let the child know there’s a large skill gap between the two.
“I was not going to let Steph gain any confidence,” Carter proclaimed. Carter had to teach Curry that there are no such things as handouts if he wanted to make the NBA. Safe to say, Steph made sure to return the favor many years later.
“Then later on he was like, this is payback for what you did to me,” Carter said while letting out a light chuckle.
Did Carter believe Steph would become the greatest three-point shooter to step on a basketball court? Certainly not. But he did know that he had a genuine love for the game, which is one of the most important traits for a basketball player to have.
That love pushed the Golden State Warriors to become a two-time MVP and four-time NBA champion. Once Curry calls it quits on his career, it won’t be long after till he joins Carter in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
