Every athlete inevitably experiences a fall from glory as father time catches up to them. However, the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry have managed to slow down that descend. But although they have all been great, former NBA champion Kevin Garnett believes one of them stand above the rest.
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The overall consensus has always been in favor of LeBron James. After all, James is the all-time leading scorer and has dominated the league for over 20 seasons. But despite the Los Angeles Lakers star’s achievements, Garnett doesn’t look at LeBron as the face of this current era. Instead, Garnett looks to Stephen Curry.
“I’ve said this countless times, I think we are in the Curry era,” Garnett said on Ticket & The Truth. “He is the GOAT of this era.”
LeBron fans can and do have the will to argue these words in a court of law if needed. But the truth is that as great as LeBron has been, Curry has revolutionized the way teams play basketball.
Curry was always a great three-point shooter, dating back to his days at Davidson. However, in his time in the NBA, he has become the all-time three-point leader and counting, while boasting four NBA championships. His involvement in the high volume of three-point shooting across the league is one of the key reasons behind Garnett’s fighting words.
“When we talk about the long ball and the three ball, you’ve got to talk about the messiah of that long ball,” Garnett proclaimed.
The three-point shot was once a non-factor during the times of Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Fast forward to today, and it is the most important offensive tool for teams.
A perfect example is in the Chicago Bulls’ recent insane 152-150 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The Bulls didn’t attempt a single mid-range shot. All of their points either came from the paint, free throw line or were three-pointers. That’s the impact Curry has had on the NBA.
Curry is currently 37 with the clock ticking for retirement. Someone will have to take the torch from him to stamp themselves as the face of the new era of the NBA. But will the next generation come up with something so defining that it fundamentally changes the way basketball is played across America?
