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"When it comes to Steph Curry--point guard for the Golden State Warriors and reigning two-time NBA MVP--fans, coaches, experts, and analysts have been blown away by his takeover of the league." (Page 21) Wardell Stephen Curry right now 33 years of age is considered to be the best Point Guard in the NBA. Standing 6'3 currently 190 lbs this guy has single handedly made himself known as a player who changed the way basketball was played while also being renowned as the greatest shooter of all time.

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"If you ever wondered how Steph Curry came out of nowhere this is how." (Page 14) Steph Curry being born in Akron, OH this guy was born on  March 14, 1988 at the Akron City Hospital, the same hospital that LeBron James was born. He lived his life in Charlotte while his father played for the Hornets.

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"Dell Curry retired from the NBA in 2002..." (Page 11) The people to thank for creating the best shooter of all time are Dell Curry and Sonya Curry. After watching their boys grow up in Charlotte they both knew they were going somewhere with basketball by how often they would go to their local YMCA and seek out basketball pick up games.

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"My cousin, he was huge Seth said. "He was rough. One of them real country-boy enforcers." (Page 12) After almost 3 years, Steph got a brother. Seth Curry was born, as the two got older they would compete in basketball any chance they had both wanting to be like their father, wanting to be the very best, wanting to get drafted.

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"At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Curry was deemed too small and too short by many NBA coaches." (Page 45) Growing up Steph was always the small scrawny kid, like the guy you would pick last for dodge ball. When it was time for Steph to go to high school he played for a small school called Charlotte Christian School where he would go to put up decent numbers on the season. He would then find himself in a small college named
"Davidson College" where he would carve a name for himself with an amazing college career averaging 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists a game, even attracting LeBron James to one of his games where he dropped 44 points.  He went on to play 3 years for the college until the 2009 NBA Draft came around.

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Flashback: That Time Steph Curry Impressed LeBron James At Davidson  | ESPN Archives

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"The Warriors were so
elated Curry fell to them at
No.7, they backed out of the
deal with the Suns-whose
draft room erupted in
celebration when Minnesota
selected Rubio and thought
they were getting Curry. Riley
drafted Curry. Even though
Curry declined to work out
for the Warriors." (Page 236) Curry sat anxiously waiting for his name to be called. He would hear David Stern call other names for the first 6 picks until the Golden State Warriors called his name with the 7th pick. The Warriors at the time were coming off a very disappointing season and would put all their hopes into Stephen Curry.

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"After the all-star
break his rookie year, Curry
averaged 22.1 points and
7.7 assists...The surge
vaulted Curry to second in
the Rookie of the Year
voting" (Page 128). Curry would bring the Warriors to a 26-56 record which in itself was disappointing but the Warriors as a whole were to blame for that. Curry his rookie season averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.9 assists which led to him being second in voting for rookie of the year award.

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During the following years curry would put up around the same numbers until the 2012-2013 season where his points per game would go up from 16 to 22 but despite that was still not selected as an all-star. That would change in the coming year. He would lead the Warriors to the playoffs with a 51-31 record averaging 24 points a game which led to his first all-star selection. He started for the west alongside Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, and James Harden. He would put up a poor performance shooting 4-14 with 12 points with not many assists nor rebounds as the western conference would fall short and lose to the eastern conference 155-163.

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"Sydel’s disdain
didn't last. She tried, but
Ayesha won her over in
about a week. She now
describes Ayesha as best
friend and the ‘sister |
never had." (Page 67) Steph and Ayesha had been close friends with a great friendship which led on to greater things when Steph finally introduced Ayesha to his family. In that moment Sonya who was Steph's mother knew Ayesha was the one for her son but his little sister was skeptical, always going against any girl that Steph had liked in the past. Her mind was quickly changed after spending time and growing a sisterly bond with Ayesha. Steph and Ayesha would go on to get married on July 30,2011, Stephen and Ayesha got married at the same church they would play at during Vacation Bible School.

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"But Nike wasn't all
in on Curry. They didn't woo
him with talks of a
signature shoe, didn't
excitedly share their plan
for his brand moving
forward and how they
would capitalize off his
buzz" (Page 239). After Steph's amazing season performance it caused many brands to reach out to him and try to negotiate him to a contract. Steph had been a Nike person all his life so you would think he would sign with them but, Nike was not really that interested Steph. They didn't try to excite him with talk about a signature shoe, they didn't even try to keep him. This would Steph to his next option and the one that wanted him the most, Under Armor. Unlike Nike Under Armor was not as big and was just getting into the basketball shoe scene with a need to bring a NBA superstar as their face. This enticed Steph as he saw that they cared for him and sincerely wanted him but would then go on to counteroffer with Nike but all they would say was that it would be a mistake to not sign with them which was Steph's deciding factor to sign with Under Armor.

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"Curry was due for an
extension on his rookie
contract, and his ankle issues
ended up costing him, in
essence, more than $29
million of NBA salary. This is
why Curry was the MVP and
yet only the fifth highest paid
player on the team in 2014-
15" (Page 162). The following year Steph decided to take matters into his own hands. He would go on to next season with that same hot hand and carry the Warriors to the playoffs with an astounding record. Averaging great numbers compared to his last season.

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"Curry is a global sports star, His wife, Ayesha, is a lifestyle icon and celebrity chef. But neither of them are the most beloved in their house. That honor goes to Riley their adorable and boisterous elder daughter" (Page 117). Steph and Ayesha after getting married had been wanting a child soon after getting married. So a couple years later Riley Curry was welcomed into the world which Curry knew he would have to take days off to play with his newborn daughter. Curry would not regret this as he made countless memories with her all while performing amazing in that season.

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The 2014-2015 season would be the season where Curry would win his first NBA Championship with the warriors along with notable teammates Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes, but it was not an easy road to get there. Steph and his team would have an easy cruise until the conference finals where they would face the Oklahoma City Thunder consisting of their dynamic duo at the time Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant who had just won the MVP award in the 2013-2014 season. They would go neck and neck each game but the Thunder would take a 3-2 lead after a devastating loss to the Warriors. The next game would not be their last of the playoffs however with Steph and Klay shooting lights out combining for 72 points along with the help of Draymond Green's defense stops and the rest of the Warriors team. They would then go on to win game 7 pushing them into the NBA Finals. Where they would face off against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Riding their momentum the Warriors with their MVP Steph Curry would take down the Cavaliers in 6 games winning their fist NBA Championship for the Warriors in decades.

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"Curry has the NBA record for 3-pointers made in a season, 3-pointers made in a game, 3-pointers made in a playoff series, and consecutive games with a 3-pointer" (Page 119). Steph surpassing many NBA Legends in total 3-pointers made  would be deemed the greatest shooter in NBA history. With countless records in the NBA smashed by Steph there was no one who could really compare to Steph's shooting ability other than his teammate Klay Thompson and NBA Legend Ray Allen. His limitless range along with his quick movement and release made him unguardable from beyond the arc.

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"Russell. Chamberlain. Abdul-Jabbar. Malone. Bird. Johnson. Jordan. Duncan. Nash. LeBron. Curry. That is a complete list of players who have won back-to-back NBA Most Valuable Player Awards" (Page 121). After his first MVP Award and first NBA Championship in the 2014-2015 season Steph was not at all done because the following season would be the season where Curry would be the only unanimous MVP of all time. Averaging 30.1 points per game, 6.7 assists per game, and 5.4 rebounds per game Curry would have his best season yet.

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The Warriors would break the win record in the league with a 73-9 record beating the 96' bulls by one win. They would meet the thunder in the Western Conference Finals again and beat them again in 7 games which led them to meeting LeBron James once again but this time with Kyrie Irving who was injured last season where the Warriors beat the Cavaliers. Despite that the Warriors would take a commanding 3-1 lead and all looked lost for the Cavs but still pulled through to be the first team in NBA history to comeback from a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals. Game 7 where the Warriors should not have been with the way they were playing were devastated at their homecourt. Ashamed as the Warriors walked back into the locker room with shock in their eyes after choking a 3-1 lead.

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After their devastating loss to the Cavaliers a certain man, a former MVP, a man they destroyed in back to back years in the WCF peaked interest in the team. That man was Kevin Durant after negotiating and the Warriors roster messaging Kevin Durant to join the Warriors it worked as he signed a 2 year deal to the Warriors on a big contract.

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Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors.

Saying he has experienced "by far the most challenging few weeks in my professional life," Durant announced his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in a post on The Players' Tribune.

Durant is expected to sign a two-year, $54.3 million contract, sources told ESPN's Marc Stein. The deal will include a player option after the first year.

"The primary mandate I had for myself in making this decision was to have it based on the potential for my growth as a player -- as that has always steered me in the right direction," Durant wrote. "But I am also at a point in my life where it is of equal importance to find an opportunity that encourages my evolution as a man: moving out of my comfort zone to a new city and community which offers the greatest potential for my contribution and personal growth.

"With this in mind, I have decided that I am going to join the Golden State Warriors."

After Durant signs with Golden State, two-time reigning MVP Stephen Curry will be the fourth-highest-paid player on the Warriors. Durant will be No. 1, followed by Klay Thompson ($16.6 million), Draymond Green ($15.3 million) and Curry ($12.1 million), who can become a free agent after next season.

Green told The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears in a text message that he was ecstatic the Warriors landed Durant. He tweeted to express his enthusiasm about his new teammate.

Welcome to THE FAMILY @KDTrey5 let's just do what we are setting out to do!! #Blockoutthenoise
- Draymond Green (@Money23Green) July 4, 2016

"I'm excited about the opportunity to add one of the best players in the world to our team and welcome him to our brotherhood! This will be some of the best times of our life, and I'm looking forward to it," he wrote.

Durant's contract can be finalized Thursday, when the leaguewide moratorium on signings and trades is lifted.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr was in Hawaii and said he learned about Durant's decision to join Golden State via The Players' Tribune, ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported.

The Warriors plan to renounce their rights to Harrison Barnes, sources told Stein, to help clear the salary-cap space needed to sign Durant. That will make Barnes an unrestricted free agent on Thursday. Barnes, sources told Stein, remains on course to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, who reached a verbal agreement with the 24-year-old on a four-year max deal worth $94.4 million, no matter what happened with Durant.

The Mavericks also have agreed to a trade with the Warriors to acquire center Andrew Bogut and his 2016-17 contract, with a base value of just over $11 million. Just before Durant's Players' Tribune post, Bogut removed references to the Warriors from his Twitter page.

Golden State will renounce its rights to center Festus Ezeli, which will make him an unrestricted free agent, but guard Shaun Livingston was told by the Warriors that he won't be traded, sources told Spears. Golden State also agreed to a one-year, $2.9 million deal with Zaza Pachulia, according to a report by The Vertical.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti expressed his team's disappointment over Durant's departure in a statement.

"Kevin made an indelible mark on the Thunder organization and the state of Oklahoma as a founding father of this franchise," Presti said. "We can't adequately articulate what he meant to the foundation of this franchise and our success. While clearly disappointing that he has chosen to move on, the core values that he helped establish only lead to us thanking him for the many tangible and intangible ways that he helped our program."

Presti later said the team had a pretty good idea that Durant was moving on even before its final meeting with him in the Hamptons on Sunday.

"Even when we were relatively sure it probably wasn't going to go our way, eight staff members and our owner stayed overnight in New York just to be there and to kind of finish it out," Presti said at a news conference in Oklahoma City on Monday evening.

"We've been there for every first in his career, and we wanted to finish it out the right way by being present whenever that decision was made, regardless of how it turned out."

Presti said he was alerted to Durant's final choice in a phone call from Durant on Monday morning a few minutes before the announcement.

"It was disappointing, it was hurtful; but at the end of the day, it was what he felt was best for him," Presti said.

The Thunder will take some time before making any roster decisions, particularly related to All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook's future, sources told ESPN's Brian Windhorst.

The biggest catch on the free-agent market, Durant met with six teams over the past three days: Oklahoma City, Golden State, San Antonio, Boston, Miami and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Warriors held their meeting with Durant on Friday.

On Saturday, Durant spoke with NBA legend Jerry West, a member of the Warriors' executive board, on the phone, sources told ESPN's Chris Broussard. West outlined the reasons he thought Golden State would be the ideal fit for the superstar forward.

Durant, 27, has spent all nine seasons of his career with the Thunder organization. He won the MVP in 2014, has been named first-team All-NBA five times and has made seven All-Star teams. He has appeared in four Western Conference finals and one NBA Finals, in which he lost in five games to the Heat in 2012.

"I'm from Washington D.C. originally, but Oklahoma City truly raised me," Durant wrote. "It taught me so much about family, as well as what it means to be a man. There are no words to express what the organization and the community mean to me and what they will represent in my life and in my heart forever. The memories and friendships are something that go far beyond the game. Those invaluable relationships are what made this deliberation so challenging.

"It really pains me to know that I will disappoint so many people with this choice, but I believe I am doing what I feel is the right thing at this point in my life and my playing career."

Durant bounced back last season to earn second-team All-NBA honors after undergoing three surgeries to repair a Jones fracture on his right foot suffered before the 2014-15 season, in which he was limited to 27 games before undergoing a season-ending bone graft procedure in March. Without Durant, the Thunder missed the postseason.

With Durant back for 72 games last season, the Thunder improved to 55-27 and finished third in the West. The Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the opening round, upset the 67-win Spurs in six games in the second round and pushed the Warriors to seven games in the Western Conference finals.

Durant averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.0 assists last season, and he scored at least 20 points in 67 straight games. In nine seasons, Durant has averaged 27.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Golden State set an NBA regular-season record with 73 wins and led the league in scoring last season, but the Warriors fell just short of a repeat NBA title and lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games.
ESPN staff writer Royce Young and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Durant joins Curry, will sign deal with Warriors

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Kevin Durant is joining the Golden State Warriors. Saying he has experienced "by far the most challenging few weeks in my professional life," Durant announced his decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday in a post on The Players' Tribune. Durant is expected to sign a two-year, $54.3 million contract, sources told ESPN's Marc Stein.

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Seeking vengeance from their disappointing loss to the Cavs the year prior the warriors would then go on to face them in back to back finals. This time they had another elite scorer to pair alongside Steph with that being Kevin Durant. Their first meeting resulted in a 4-1 series win for the Warriors with Kevin Durant getting the Finals MVP over Steph Curry. The next season would be the same thing on repeat after the Warriors swept the Cavs 4-0 for their 3rd championship in 4 years and back-to-back NBA Championships for the Warriors.

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The next season the Warriors were looking as dominant as ever winning almost every game they played in the regular season but that would change during the playoffs. Injuries would be the curse of the Warriors with Durant getting injured in the first round and was not expected to return for the rest of the playoffs. Despite not having him the Warriors made it to the finals but this time against the Toronto Raptors led by Kawhi Leonard. After the first 4 games it would be a 3-1 lead in favor of the Raptors but then game 5 Kevin Durant would come to play but only to reinjure his Achilles after only 1 quarter making him out for the rest of the series as the Raptors but the Warriors would pull through making the Series 3-2 and then in game 6 Klay Thompson would tear his ACL resulting in a devastating 4-2 series win for the Toronto Raptors.

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The Coach Who Pushed him to be what he is today

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The Coach Who Pushed him to be what he is today

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Steve Kerr was the coach who got Steph to be the player he is today. When Steph first met coach Kerr he was skeptical because he replaced his old beloved coach but that quickly changed when they started to win quickly changing his opinion on him their relationship grew into what it is today.

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Stephen Curry said he was skeptical of Steve Kerr replacing former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.

Curry said Kerr won him over by entering with "humility" and making some tweaks to their system.

After three championships in seven seasons, Curry said it has been a "really good ride" with Kerr.

Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

The Steve Kerr-led Golden State Warriors clicked so well immediately that it almost sounds preposterous that there was a time when Stephen Curry was skeptical of his new head coach.

Speaking on "The Rex Chapman Show," Curry said that he was hesitant about Kerr taking over the reigns because he had loved former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson.

"Sometimes you have coaches that kind of want to be the hero, you know. 'I did this, I brought in these specific changes, and this is what's gonna get us there,'" Curry said. "[Kerr] is like, it's just a different entrance, if you will, of how he wanted to take our success of a great defensive team, a really talented offensive team, and unlock it.

"That, for me, kind of disarmed me a little bit, to be like, 'Okay, I can roll with this.' Because you know how much I loved Mark Jackson at the time, too. It was a big change for me."

In three years as head coach, Jackson helped develop the Warriors from a 23-win team to a 51-win team that had won a playoff series in 2012-13.

Though behind-the-scenes conflicts reportedly derailed Jackson's time with the Warriors - and he has not coached since - several Warriors players, Curry included, have publicly supported him.

Curry said that Kerr came in with "humility" and emphasized that he only wanted to "tweak" what the Warriors did to get them to the next level.

"As one of the lead guys on the team, when you have a new coach come in, it's kind of awkward at first. Because we had a certain level of success, and he's coming in and trying to give us the blueprint of how to get over the hump and become a championship contending team."

Curry added: "You see how [Kerr] handles people, how he manages people, how he talks to people, how he finds ways to make sure everybody knows their role and get them to buy into it for the betterment of the entire team. That meant a lot."

Of course, Kerr did make some important changes that brought the Warriors to the next level. He encouraged Curry and Klay Thompson to play off the ball, inserting a motion offense that would scramble defenses paying so much attention to stopping Curry and Thompson's shooting.

When All-Star power forward David Lee got injured, Kerr started Draymond Green, then a backup big man. Green's offensive playmaking and defensive versatility helped unlock the entire Warriors system. In Kerr's first season at the helm in 2014-15, the Warriors got off to a 21-2 start, went 67-15, and won the championship.

Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP Images

Kerr gives Curry the freedom to be himself on the court

The 2014-15 season also marked Curry's ascendance to a top-five player in basketball.

Curry had started to break out under Jackson, most notably wowing the NBA world with a 54-point explosion against the New York Knicks in 2013. But Jackson's offensive system was also isolation-heavy, which didn't play into the unique skills of Curry and Thompson.

Curry became Curry under Kerr, raining fire on opponents with audacious pull-up three-pointers off the dribble and quick catch-and-shoots that defenses barely had time to react to.

"There is definitely a give-and-take on, I just need to be creative, be myself, have the confidence and flare that I play with ... and just be mindful of what we're trying to accomplish and how we're trying to go about things. And obviously the success has been proven."

Curry reference a play in 2015, where he evaded several LA Clippers players with behind-the-back dribbles, then launched a spinning, stepback three that went in. Replays had showed Kerr ready to explode on Curry for the shot, before walking back with his hands up, as if to give up.

"I think that's when I broke the system on what is a good play or what is a good bad shot conversation," Curry said.

Kerr, Curry, and the Warriors, of course, dominated the NBA for five years, winning three championships and making the Finals from 2014-2019.

The Warriors are no longer at that peak, with much of their core now broken up - Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala are gone, while Thompson is missing a second straight season to injury.

Curry, however, has taken his game to new heights this season, with Kerr saying Curry is at his peak. Next season, perhaps with a healthy Thompson and roster reinforcements, the Warriors might enter a new era.

"It's been a really good ride with him," Curry said.

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Stephen Curry explained how Steve Kerr won him over after replacing a beloved coach

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Stephen Curry said he was skeptical of Steve Kerr replacing former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson. Curry said Kerr won him over by entering with "humility" and making some tweaks to their system. After three championships in seven seasons, Curry said it has been a "really good ride" with Kerr.

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Steph Curry today is now still on the Warriors but it was not the Warriors who dominated the NBA it was far from that. With basically a whole different Roster with only the main pieces of Steph, Klay, and Draymond remaining are looking to go back into NBA Title contention. Steph this season carried the Warriors to a winning record and had his best scoring season ever averaging 32 points a game. Despite that it was still not enough to get them to the playoffs after losing the play-in game to the Memphis Grizzlies 117-112 in overtime. Currently it is the offseason for the Warriors and Steph as he plans to stay with the Warriors in hopes of getting back to the NBA Finals next season.

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Thompson II Marcus, Golden: The Miraculous Rise Of Steph Curry, Touch Stone, 2017