Renowned sports journalist Jonathan Liew once gave his opinion on the greatness of Lionel Messi. In 2016, when the Argentine star won his fifth Ballon d’Or, he said that Messi was not only the best player in football history, but also more excellent than many talents in other fields, such as Einstein or Michelangelo.
The reason Liew gives is that football is a widely popular sport, accessible globally and touches hearts easily. The competition to reach the highest level in football is more fierce than in any other field.
That view is controversial. But one thing is certain: Messi’s popularity and brilliance have made his name a shorthand for excellence in many areas. Even if it sometimes sounds a little bit sloppy.
On Merseyside, Jamie Hughes is known as the “Water Messi” because of his excellent fishing skills. Similarly, Alex Marshall was dubbed the “Bowling Messi” after winning seven World Cup gold medals. And after winning the 2012 London Olympics, Dujardin’s horse Valegro was dubbed the “Equestrian Messi”.
In the NBA, Stephen Curry is called the “Messi of basketball” . They have both reached the highest level, despite their small stature in their respective sports. In terms of playing style, both are athletes who pursue sophistication, and dare to do things that are out of the ordinary.
If Lionel Messi defines a new style of scoring and sets records, Stephen Curry is no different. Curry shoots three-pointers as easily as anyone else shoots free throws.
The Golden State Warriors guard broke several NBA records related to long-range shooting, such as most three-pointers made in a game (13), in a regular season (402), and most consecutive three-pointers made (157).
Like Messi, Curry doesn’t just score big points, he scores big ones, from seemingly impossible shots. It’s impossible to list the number of times the 29-year-old has made baskets from midcourt, or scored last-second game-winning shots. Curry plays by his own rules.
For Curry, there is no offensive situation on the court that he cannot score. If he is blocked from shooting long and has to dribble the ball to break through, he will successfully score with the softest movements, or assist his teammates with a mindset that is ahead of his opponents, just like Messi.
Twice named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (2015, 2016), helping the Warriors end a 40-year drought, Curry has become a new standard in basketball. But before becoming an idol to most American kids, “Chef” Curry had to spend years breaking the limits of a genius.
Not to the extent of lacking growth hormones or being suspected of being stupid like Messi when he was young, but Curry was also abandoned many times before coming to the Golden State Warriors.
“My high school years were great, and I thought I was on top of the world. Everything seemed to be going in the right direction, and I was going to go to a varsity school, play football, and go pro, make it to the league. But those schools, they never called me,” Curry recalls. “They all said I was too small. I didn’t have the physical attributes to go pro. That was really upsetting. I didn’t think my career would end right after I started college.”
Davidson, a not-so-prestigious NCAA school, decided to salvage Curry’s college career. There, the diminutive, innocent-looking kid set an NCAA record with 113 three-pointers in his freshman year. In his sophomore year, Curry almost single-handedly led his team to the quarterfinals, before being named ESPN’s Most Improved Player of the Year. But he was still rejected when he turned pro.
Five teams passed on a player who averaged 25 points per game in college. They thought a “slim” player, who was “only” 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed 190 pounds, would be limited defensively. And being good at offense in college doesn’t mean you’ll be able to do the same in the NBA. The Minnesota Timberwolves even had two chances to draft Curry, but passed on both.
In the end, the Golden State Warriors got the crown jewel in the 2009 Draft . Three years later, the Warriors took another gamble. They spent $44 million to sign Curry, who had just returned from injury. The payoff was clear. Thanks to Curry’s great contributions, the Oracle team reached the finals in the last three years, winning two NBA championships.
Curry was fortunate to be welcomed by the Warriors, just as Messi was welcomed by Barca. Both clubs also have similarities in the softness of their playing style. Warriors coach Steve Kerr revealed that he often shows footage of Barca’s attacking style for the whole team to learn and use as inspiration. Now, the Warriors’ style of play is considered the most beautiful in the NBA, despite not using many tall players. They pass a lot and players run and cut constantly to create scoring opportunities.
On the other hand, Messi and Iniesta have admitted to referencing the Golden State Warriors’ style of play, and idolizing Stephen Curry. “Watching Curry play is like a magician. It feels like his body and mind are always in sync with the ball. I always try to create that connection when playing football. We are both small, and have very similar playing styles,” Messi commented on Curry.
The two are friends in real life, meet and often send each other signed shirts. They get along very well, because they are both devoted to their own football.
As the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, Curry is a family man. But other than that, “Steph” isn’t too different from everyone else. He’s not too fast, not too big, and not too strong. He lacks a lot of the innate qualities needed to succeed in the NBA. And yet, in the end, Curry is still a basketball superstar.
“I’m not a monster or a superhero, I’m just like you, the fans of this sport,” Curry’s inspiration comes from the simplicity he says. Many children want to shoot the basket as well as he does, to the point that when they shoot into the basket, they shout their name “Stephen Curry.”
Clearly, Steph’s closeness to the average person, both in stature and personality, gives young kids hope that one day they can be as successful as Curry.
