"He wilts, he doesn't come through" - Rob Parker questions Steph Curry's clutch gene, claims many NBA players don't want him taking game-winning shots
Steph Curry was the nation's sensation after the Golden State Warriors star helped the USA Men's National Basketball Team secure the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Curry gave one of the greatest performances witnessed in a gold medal game, going 8 of 13 from downtown and 8 of 14 from the field, scoring a team-high 24 points.
However, sports journalist Rob Parker placed the Warriors star in a different light, away from the national glory he is receiving. Parked questioned the clutching potential of the four-time NBA champion and refused to recognize him as the greatest shooter the game has ever seen.
He issued his statements on the latest episode of The Odd Couple with Rob Parker and Brian Noe Podcast, claiming that Curry falls short when it matters the most.
"when the moment’s big and the lights are bright—like a hamburger on one of those fast food restaurant lamps—he wilts, or he doesn’t come through. That’s all, man," Parker said.
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Parker pointed out that the NBA considers shots made in the final five minutes of the game as clutch shots, giving examples of NBA icon Ray Allen and baseball star Aaron Judge.
He mentioned conversations that he had with NBA players and claimed that no one picked Stephen Curry as their choice to be the final shot taker for a game-winning basket. Moreover, he backed up his point about Curry's postseason statistics in clutch moments.
"Nobody picked Steph. Nobody. And the numbers, Brian, are very obvious. He’s 0-for-14 in the final 50 seconds with a chance to tie or put his team ahead. 0-for-14 in the postseason. I’m not talking about regular season games here, I’m talking about postseason."
Parker asserted that it was hard for him to consider Steph as clutch or the greatest shooter of all time because of what the numbers said.
NBA analyst picks Steph Curry as Paris Olympics MVP over LeBron James
In his latest episode of the Stephen A. Smith show, the ESPN analyst expressed his opinion on LeBron James winning the Paris Olympics MVP award. Smith picked Stephen Curry as his preferred choice to win the honor and backed up his choice with an explanation.
"I thought Steph Curry deserved it," Smith said. "When you are as spectacular as Steph Curry was in a game against Serbia, that would have denied Team USA a trip to the gold medal [match] if Steph Curry hadn't showed up and saved the day, dropping 36 and then in the gold medal game, the 24 that he scored... I thought Steph Curry deserved the MVP beacsue of that."
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Smith clarified that he wasn't throwing any shade at LeBron James for getting the honor and praised him for his consistency and leadership throughout the tournament. However, in his opinion, Curry's contribution in crucial games was more important, making him worthy of the MVP award.