5 reasons why Steph Curry may never be surpassed as greatest Golden State Warriors player
The Golden State Warriors have seen their share of superstar players in their history, but none greater than Steph Curry, who undeniably would go down as the best to ever lace it for the royal blue and yellow.
Now playing for the Warriors in his 15th year, the Davidson standout continues to build on his legend in the Bay Area, rendering it downright impossible for anyone to surpass him as the greatest Golden State player.
Below are five reasons why Curry will never be surpassed as Warriors GOAT.
5 reasons why Steph Curry’s standing as the Warriors’ greatest is safe
#1. Immense success with the team
Steph Curry has been at the forefront of the Golden State’s ‘golden era,’ leading them to six finals appearances, five straight from 2015 to 2019. They won four titles (2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022), with ‘Chef Curry’ prominently featured in their 34 Finals games with averages of 27.3 points, six assists and 5.8 rebounds.
Sure, he only won one final MVP award (2022), but there was no denying that the presence of Curry put the team in a greater position for championship success.
#2. All-time leading scorer of the Warriors
Steph Curry is currently the all-time leading scorer in Warriors history with 22,158 (and counting), ahead of legends and Hall-of-Famers Wilt Chamberlain (17,783), Rick Barry (16,447), Paul Arizin (16,266) and Chris Mullin (16,235).
He is set to maintain the top spot as the only active player who could challenge him for that in the foreseeable future is Klay Thompson (14,396). But with some 8,000 away from Curry and at age 33, the window for ‘K.T.’ to reach his All-Star partner may not be too wide.
#3. Tops in other key statistics
Apart from scoring, Steph Curry also tops in other key statistics in franchise history, namely games played, minutes played, three-point field goals, assists and steals. Such is further proof of the kind of tenure that he has had in Golden State.
He recently surpassed Mullin in games played and now has 897 under his belt, as well as Nate Thurmond for minutes at 30,797. He is the all-time leader in the NBA for three-pointers made with 3,470, with Thompson the closest at 2,257.
As far as assists, he leads the franchise at 5,799, ahead of legend Guy Rodgers (4,855). Draymond Green (4,284) could challenge him for the top spot, but he still has a long way to go to reach him, if at all. Steals are also in his domain at 1,431 at this point, with Green (1,035) again the lone closest for it.
#4. Longest-tenured player in franchise history
Steph Curry is the only player in franchise history who has played 15 straight years, making him the longest-tenured Golden State player.
Again, it is not by chance that he lasted this long with the team, as he has been a key part of the Warriors from Day One all the way to 15 years later. And he will continue to be such in the next couple of years still.
#5. Arguably the most popular Warriors player ever
Apart from leading Golden State in many key all-time statistics, Steph Curry should go down as the most popular player in the franchise’s history.
Sure, the Warriors had the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Run TMC (Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond) and Baron Davis and the “We Believe” crew. But none of them reached the popularity that Curry has had in his career. And it is not only confined to the Bay Area because wherever he plays, he has a throng of supporters.
One gauge of his large following is how his jersey remains one of the best-selling in league history, including leading sales three straight times from 2016 to 2018. In the all-time numbers for jersey sales, he ranks sixth behind Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.
