Even though the Golden State Warriors were knocked out of the playoff race, it is difficult to keep Stephen Curry from the list of accolades. Featuring alongside DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls and the MVP candidate Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Charles Barkley officially declared Baby-Faced Assassin the Clutch Player of the Year on the ‘Inside the NBA’ show. While Steph was elated to accept the honor, he messed up a Michael Jordan quote on missing shots but still managed to get the point across.
During a brief virtual appearance on the show, Ernie Johnson asked the Warriors superstar about his mentality behind always wanting the ball in clutch moments. The Chef answered,
“You gotta be able to deal with failure. I know they got that Jordan quote, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’, or whatever it is.”
The original quote from MJ is, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.”
Even with the misquote, Steph perfectly explained his mentality whenever he takes a shot in the last minute. He added that the most important thing for any player of his caliber is to have a short memory for missed shots. The four-time NBA Champion described his dedication to the craft and confidence in these moments because of the hard work behind it. He said, “You’ve got to have a little Amnesia built in there and that’s the only way you kinda keep coming back.”
Steph also revealed his plans for the next season and the upcoming Olympic games in Paris. He said that the Warriors getting knocked out is a blessing in disguise for him as he has more time to figure out what areas to work on, as they prepare for the next season. For now, the clutch master is just working on his game to bring a gold medal for his country.
Stephen Curry talks about his Olympic debut
The Warriors star has all the major awards stacked in his trophy cabinet. However, the one missing piece from his resume is an Olympic gold medal. The only reason he doesn’t already have one is because he never went to the global event. However, all that is about to change as he gets ready to lead Team USA, alongside LeBron James and Kevin Durant, in the upcoming global tournament in Paris.
Describing his excitement to be a part of the roster, Curry said,
“I am beyound excited…I know Coach Kerr and his approach, he has a great coaching staff….There is no greater experience, its really like the Dream Team. Its something you cant really imagine”
As for his preparations for the next season with the Warriors, he said,
“I didn’t answer anything specifically [to coach Kerr and the management] about what we need but we’re gonna figure this out over this summer.”
The Warriors would return next season with a humiliated Splash Brothers, especially Klay Thompson if he remains with the franchise. Based on the confidence that Steph showed during his chat with the TNT crew, it’s safe to say that they’ll be better than ever in the 2024-25 season.
