Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Former All-Star feels Stephen Curry is 'not a generational talent'

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jun 3, 2024 11:16 AM ET

What makes a generational talent?

Former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas feels an athlete whose "physical traits" can't be mimicked would fit the criteria for such a talent. Since Stephen Curry — 6'2" and 185 pounds — isn't gifted with remarkable physical tools, he doesn't quite make Arenas' cut of what constitutes a generational talent.

"Steph is not a generational talent," Arenas said on his "Gil's Arena" podcast. "You know what a generational — Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] is a generational person. Generational means you can't mimic it. Can you mimic Magic Johnson — 6'9" point guard with the vision? No. You can't mimic Shaquille O'Neal's body. You can't mimic LeBron James. You can't mimic Wemby — those are generational, they come around once every [few decades]."

Arenas believes there have been only "five or six" generational talents in history. To that end, he didn't name Michael Jordan or Larry Bird on his list since neither player was genetically superior to their peers.

"Somebody like Giannis [Antetokounmpo] is tweaking," Arenas continued. "Like, [Nikola] Jokic is not a generational talent, he's just a great basketball player. Curry is a great basketball player. Generational is something that's once every 20 — when it comes, you're like, 'Damn.'"

Arenas added that one has to be "a freak of nature" to be viewed as a generational talent.

The discussion was sparked after Arenas said Heat president Pat Riley lucked out by inheriting several generational talents to win his several championships as head coach/executive.

By Arenas' definition, Curry doesn't fit the criteria of a player who can't be mimicked, since no player before or after him has been able to shoot the ball the way he does (Trae Young did try). That said, Arenas also has a valid point since Curry isn't blessed with any physical advantages over his peers.

It definitely makes for an interesting water cooler discussion.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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