Brandon Payne slams ESPN’s ‘comical’ Steph Curry omission, it will motivate the Warriors star

Brandon Payne says it’s ‘comical’ that Steph Curry is not among NBA MVP favorites

Ahead of Year 17 in the league, Curry has already turned 37 years old, which means that the Warriors star is in the final stages of his NBA career.

Keeping that in mind, it’s no surprise that Steph is no longer viewed as an NBA MVP favorite by league executives, scouts, or coaches.

But Curry’s omission from ESPN’s MVP favorites for the 2025-26 season bugged his trainer, Brandon Payne.

“Which is comical, to be honest. It’s comical to me. Stephen Curry gives his team a chance to win not just night after night,” Payne told Mark Medina of RG.org.

He added: “Having Stephen Curry on your roster gives you a chance to win a championship every single day. How that guy is not considered an MVP candidate is amusing to me.”

Payne was astonished that Curry isn’t viewed as an MVP candidate, but was still voted as the best American player in the league.

Brandon Payne feels Stephen Curry will feel extra motivated next season

As one of the best NBA players of all time, Curry is a ferocious competitor. While Steph has been handed several reality checks during his career, he has found a way to overcome the odds.

With that said, Payne feels it’s a good thing that Curry was omitted from the top MVP candidates, as it will help him play with some extra motivation.

“I’ll say this. It’s always nice for Steph to have any sort of motivating factor that he can have in his career. So I would say I personally appreciate them omitting him from that list.”

Curry averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game last season. While those were solid numbers, they were nowhere close to making Steph the league MVP.