After securing his first NBA Finals MVP award, is the Warriors’ Steph Curry one of the 10 best NBA players of all time?
Now that Steph Curry has his elusive Finals’ MVP to go along with four NBA Championships, two regular-season MVPs, and two scoring titles, the question becomes, is Curry an All-Time top 10 NBA player?
I love sports lists, but I’m one of those strange people that, when asked to give his top 10, only puts 10 players on it. I’m not a fan of a Baker’s Dozen.
When making any list, get the no-brainers out of the way first.
LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Bill Russell, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are locks. These four icons are the “Mount Rushmore “ of All-Time great NBA players.
My next level includes Wilt Chamberlain, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird. As great as Steph Curry is, he ain’t those guys.
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Now the fun and interesting part of this exercise begins.
Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant are still slightly ahead of Curry. They both have one more championship than Curry, and were markedly better defenders.
So the first nine of our top 10 list is set, leaving one more spot available.
For the longest time, I’ve had Oscar Robertson as my 10th greatest player of all-time followed by, Elgin Baylor at number 11. Jerry West, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal have rounded out my top 15.
Has Curry vaulted past those six all-time greats to crack the top 10?
If it’s about winning, Curry has as many championships as O’Neal. The other five players in this discussion have won a combined five titles.
There are so many factors that go into crafting this list. Individual accolades and championships are at the forefront. But, context has to matter as well. The era you played in. The individual talent and championship-caliber teams of a particular player’s era must also be considered. This is as much about feel as it is about facts. It isn’t easy, and that’s what makes it difficult and exhilarating.
Curry has the requisite Individual accomplishments and championships to certainly put him into the discussion as the 10th greatest player of all time.
Now that Curry has two titles without Kevin Durant, and a decade-long prime, I’m very comfortable placing him at number 10 on my all-time list.
John Sapochetti is cohost of the Pick & Roll NBA Podcast with JET & SAP, which is heard here on Full Press Coverage.
Follow him on Twitter
@JohnSap25
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