“Steph was a baby” - Stephen Jackson admits he had no idea a rookie Steph Curry would "be who he is today."
Not everyone was convinced that Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry would eventually become the superstar that he has become today. That includes former NBA veteran Stephen Jackson, who was a member of the Warriors when Curry was drafted in 2009.
Jackson was a bit of a journeyman throughout his NBA career, spending time with a number of organizations. It wasn't a knock on his ability, as Jackson was often targeted by teams looking to take that next step and make a deep run in the NBA playoffs.
After finding a "home" in Golden State, the team looked to be finally heading in the direction of a rebuild. Jackson went on to speak about the situation on the latest episode of the "All the Smoke" podcast, and expressed a lack of faith in the rebuild and his role within the team.
"I didn’t believe in the organization at all... I was the last old head there. I can't be here with a bunch of babies."
At the time, the Golden State Warriors team were a consistent feature in the NBA Playoffs, and had only recently shocked the basketball world with their upset over the Dallas Mavericks in 2006-07.
Jackson went on to voice his desire to the Warriors management about wanting to be traded due to Golden State becoming a largely young team. During the podcast, the former NBA veteran spoke about a young Steph Curry, saying he had no idea how good the superstar guard would turn out to be.
"I can't go out with none of them... Steph was a baby. Yeah, he was 19... but I admitted I had no idea he was gonna be who he is today... I admitted that." said Jackson.
Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors ready to roll
There were plenty of doubters and skeptics when it came to Steph Curry entering the league as a rookie guard. Many questioned if Curry had the ability to become a consistent player at the NBA level. A successful career at Davidson College saw him become one of the most lethal shooters in the history of college basketball. So it was only a matter of time before Curry started taking over the NBA as well.
Stephen Curry was hitting threes from all over the court at #NBAAllStar
Listen in to Steph's record setting performance as heard around the globe 🔊🌎 https://t.co/KnDpdMLrez
The superstar guard has continued to show his dominance on the court this year, as his Golden State Warriors team are looking like potential championship contenders. After skyrocketing up to No.1 in the Western Conference during the early portion of the campaign, the 42-17 Warriors now find themselves in second place behind the Phoenix Suns.
The Warriors will eagerly be awaiting the run-in to the end of the season. With a number of important pieces such as Draymond Green and James Wiseman set to return to the lineup, it looks as if Curry is in a good position to add to his legacy. Curry is a three-time NBA champion and a two-time league MVP, he is also the all-time three-point record holder and is arguably the greatest shooter to ever play the game.