Curry deserves more credit for how he became the face of the NBA

[Godymas]

In the last few years we've seen a few guys that have had a shot at becoming the new face of the league and not a single one of them has shown the ability to really be the face of the NBA imo.

The closest is Giannis, but he's a little too foreign to appeal to mass America, he's also got that corny simple dad personality, just an all around good family man, but also the small market kind of hurts his appeal.

The other guys that had a shot at it were either too controversial like Embiid, or flat out boring like Jokic and Tatum.

Then there's SGA, and SGA is kind of in the same category as Giannis imo in that he's just too weird to be the face of the NBA. He's not at all synced up with relatable American mainstream culture. He does this weird heavy sighs, kind of has a Tatum-esque gives the PR answer at times. He's almost like a diva with his behavior off the court, it feels like. He models in Skims, there isn't really that aspect of young kids seeing Shai and thinking "wow he's achievable".

Now Curry is a strange case, Curry came into the NBA and he was well regarded, but no one saw what he could be until that break out year and when the Warriors broke out, they broke OUT. It helped that they were in a massive California market, and Curry had that underdog storyline that had followed him in his career. He was changing the game.

Now changing the game doesn't make someone the face of the NBA. You could argue Jokic changed the way Centers are viewed, and yet no one is thinking Jokic ever got as popular or will become more popular than Curry. However, Curry changed the game in a way that was relatable, he did it for young undersized kids that dreamt of playing in the NBA.

However, I think it's what Curry is off the court that really made what he had something special, and a lot of the credit actually goes to his very famous wife Ayesha. Ayesha became an image of modern femininity and marriage. She was celebrated for being the ultimate homemaker and beloved for her recipes and social media presence. She pushed Curry off the court to participate in content that appealed to women, romance fueled reality TV amongst other things. Her rise as a feminine icon was the perfect pairing for Curry to create crossover appeal so that women didn't just like Curry due to being an athlete, but also liked Curry for the representation of family, for being a father, for being a husband.

I think there's more off the court too. A big one, imo, is the casual approach Curry has to life off the court. Curry is pretty humble, for the most part, off the court. However, he doesn't disappear. He makes content, does appearances, does philanthropy, and all of that adds up. I think back to a video of Curry early in his career where he goes to grab lunch at Subway, and you can tell that he legitimately just eats Subway like a regular person and isn't out here doing some crazy diet with vegan only protein or weird green juices, he eats what regular people eat. Later on, even in the middle of his fame I saw a video of Curry cooking food for his daughters and it was incredibly relatable. His daughters made fun of him, they knew exactly what dish he was cooking, he served them in a cute father-like manner, and then the real genius pops up as Curry picks up a bowl of the food he cooked himself and a cold Corona beer to drink in the middle of the day with his food. There wasn't any sponsorship, there wasn't any intentional placement, Curry is just a dude that makes a bachelor meal and washes it down with a cold beer on a random day in the off-season.

Then there's the infamous Curry-Obama relationship. There is no denial that Curry and Obama are legitimate friends. You can easily imagine Michelle and Barack having dinner with Ayesha and Steph in a restaurant in DC or the Bay Area. It's the most clear pairing of athlete and politician in the history. Obama, one of the most beloved presidents of the modern era, and the first African American president is a hoops lover. Curry of course had a chance to visit the White House after the 2015 championship. Together they've ran philanthropy, held interviews, made appearances, and done a lot of good for the United States as a whole. It is the crowning piece that makes Curry, quite possibly, the perfect face of the league.

To conclude, I wanted to share one of my favorite interviews that Curry has done, which is Curry interviewing Jordan at the Ryder Cup and what I love is how you can see two of the greatest at a sport sit down and chat about a completely different sport and style of competition and you can see the joy on their face discussing something they truly love.

Watch on YouTube

[jowglenn]

I think you are somewhat right about his social media, his family, etc.

But you kind of glossed over the fact that starting in 2015, Steph Curry was doing things on a basketball court that had basically never been done before, and it became downright must-see-TV. The guy was like a video game come to life. That's how I always describe the insanity of what Curry was doing - it was like he had a cheat code or something, like he was Neo able to see the Matrix code. Nowadays we sort of take for granted that there are guys who will just shoot from anywhere - at one point last night Halliburton pulled up from like 35 feet early in the shot clock (and missed) and it didn't even seem crazy. Curry was like the guy who broke the 4-minute mile - once he proved it was possible, a bunch of other people started doing it. It was like going from black and white TV to color TV. It was like going from a flip phone to an iPhone.

[Godymas]

I think you are somewhat right about his social media, his family, etc.

But you kind of glossed over the fact that starting in 2015, Steph Curry was doing things on a basketball court that had basically never been done before, and it became downright must-see-TV. The guy was like a video game come to life. That's how I always describe the insanity of what Curry was doing - it was like he had a cheat code or something, like he was Neo able to see the Matrix code. Nowadays we sort of take for granted that there are guys who will just shoot from anywhere - at one point last night Halliburton pulled up from like 35 feet early in the shot clock (and missed) and it didn't even seem crazy. Curry was like the guy who broke the 4-minute mile - once he proved it was possible, a bunch of other people started doing it. It was like going from black and white TV to color TV. It was like going from a flip phone to an iPhone.

Giannis was doing video game things 2018-2020.

Jokic has been doing video game things from 2021-2025

SGA is pretty much doing video game things today.

I don't think being transcendent on the game is as impactful as you are making it out to be.

[jowglenn]

Giannis was doing video game things 2018-2020.

Jokic has been doing video game things from 2021-2025

SGA is pretty much doing video game things today.

I don't think being transcendent on the game is as impactful as you are making it out to be.

No. False. Jokic a little bit, with the crazy passing and hitting some big threes. But Giannis? SGA? Please. Very good players, MVPs, but not mind-warping unprecedented innovation on the level of Curry.

Curry completely broke the mold of what was possible on a basketball court. I don't know if you were watching the NBA twenty years ago or ten years ago, but when Curry had his first MVP year it was unlike anything I have ever seen before or have ever seen since. He was the Beatles. He was Linsanity but for real and for an entire season. He was Nikola Tesla harnessing the earth's electric current.

[phanman]

Not sure how much more credit you can give the guy for ushering in this new age of 3pt shooting. He's widely considered as the GOAT shooter and at at worse a top 2 PG of all time along with Magic. Unlike Bron or even MJ, he also has a considerably smaller contingent of haters that his fans have to deal with as well.

[Godymas]

Giannis was doing video game things 2018-2020.

Jokic has been doing video game things from 2021-2025

SGA is pretty much doing video game things today.

I don't think being transcendent on the game is as impactful as you are making it out to be.

No. False. Jokic a little bit, with the crazy passing and hitting some big threes. But Giannis? SGA? Please. Very good players, MVPs, but not mind-warping unprecedented innovation on the level of Curry.

Curry completely broke the mold of what was possible on a basketball court. I don't know if you were watching the NBA twenty years ago or ten years ago, but when Curry had his first MVP year it was unlike anything I have ever seen before or have ever seen since. He was the Beatles. He was Linsanity but for real and for an entire season. He was Nikola Tesla harnessing the earth's electric current.

You're grossly overrating what Curry was and you can look at the viewership #s of easily the best finals of maybe the century and see that it wasn't that far ahead of even Game 7 LA vs Boston in 2010 or the 1998 Bulls finals, and that finals was special, not because of Curry, but because of LeBron.

Giannis was 100% putting up video game #s, his #s are Steph Curry for his position. He won an MVP playing 30 mpg.

He was not the Beatles, he was not bigger than Jordan, please calm down, he was popular, I don't think he was ever bigger than a Tom Brady.

I'm trying to praise Curry here, and I have tell to you to glaze less, think about that.

[jbsays]

On the court he is considered the best player post prime Lebron and pre prime Jokic. For a few years he was the best basketball player on the planet.

[jowglenn]

You're grossly overrating what Curry was and you can look at the viewership #s of easily the best finals of maybe the century and see that it wasn't that far ahead of even Game 7 LA vs Boston in 2010 or the 1998 Bulls finals, and that finals was special, not because of Curry, but because of LeBron.

Giannis was 100% putting up video game #s, his #s are Steph Curry for his position. He won an MVP playing 30 mpg.

He was not the Beatles, he was not bigger than Jordan, please calm down, he was popular, I don't think he was ever bigger than a Tom Brady.

I'm trying to praise Curry here, and I have tell to you to glaze less, think about that.

You're talking about numbers, I'm talking about vibes. Giannis was putting up video game numbers, sure. Curry was taking video game shots. Like literally shots that people only take in video games. He was doing it for real.

[Godymas]

You're grossly overrating what Curry was and you can look at the viewership #s of easily the best finals of maybe the century and see that it wasn't that far ahead of even Game 7 LA vs Boston in 2010 or the 1998 Bulls finals, and that finals was special, not because of Curry, but because of LeBron.

Giannis was 100% putting up video game #s, his #s are Steph Curry for his position. He won an MVP playing 30 mpg.

He was not the Beatles, he was not bigger than Jordan, please calm down, he was popular, I don't think he was ever bigger than a Tom Brady.

I'm trying to praise Curry here, and I have tell to you to glaze less, think about that.

You're talking about numbers, I'm talking about vibes. Giannis was putting up video game numbers, sure. Curry was taking video game shots. Like literally shots that people only take in video games. He was doing it for real.

And now everyone takes those shots. Look, Curry was big, but when you said he was on the Beatles level, you really need to take it down a peg. Basketball talent and game changing will not make you massive, what made Curry massive was what he did off the court

[playoffs]

IMO what made Curry the face of the league and so influential was that his shooting was something that kids could *try* to emulate. It's based on a faulty assumption that Curry's greatness is solely based on his shooting, but that faulty assumption nevertheless inspired a whole generation of kids to try to be like Curry and get really good at shooting threes. Most kids can't emulate being 7 feet tall like Jokic, or fly and dunk like Jordan, but anyone can spend hours on the court every day bombing away from 3.

[cupcakesnake]

Can someone explain this recent fascination with "face of the league?"

I swear it was not something anyone cared about or talked about until 2 seasons ago.

[HotelVitale]

You're grossly overrating what Curry was and you can look at the viewership #s of easily the best finals of maybe the century and see that it wasn't that far ahead of even Game 7 LA vs Boston in 2010 or the 1998 Bulls finals, and that finals was special, not because of Curry, but because of LeBron.

Giannis was 100% putting up video game #s, his #s are Steph Curry for his position. He won an MVP playing 30 mpg.

He was not the Beatles, he was not bigger than Jordan, please calm down, he was popular, I don't think he was ever bigger than a Tom Brady.

I'm trying to praise Curry here, and I have tell to you to glaze less, think about that.

You're talking about numbers, I'm talking about vibes. Giannis was putting up video game numbers, sure. Curry was taking video game shots. Like literally shots that people only take in video games. He was doing it for real.

And now everyone takes those shots. Look, Curry was big, but when you said he was on the Beatles level, you really need to take it down a peg. Basketball talent and game changing will not make you massive, what made Curry massive was what he did off the court

You can't just keep stating and restating this like it's truth. I know of many people--including many casuals--who light up with respect and wonder when you talk about what Curry can do on the court, and I honestly know absolutely no one who's said they really like Curry the person or personality. I've heard a few women say stuff like 'yeah he seems like a good guy' but that's it.

Why do you think being kind of vanilla and un-offensive is an extremely appealing quality? Curry has very little charisma or magnetism, but he's incredibly magnetic on the court (and v v successful) and in my read that's made enough people care about him, and then it's true they're not put off by him because of his nice-guy positive-vibe thing. But having like a mid-tier domestic-life social media influencer vibe really really doesn't make the masses salivate over you.

[Godymas]

You're talking about numbers, I'm talking about vibes. Giannis was putting up video game numbers, sure. Curry was taking video game shots. Like literally shots that people only take in video games. He was doing it for real.

And now everyone takes those shots. Look, Curry was big, but when you said he was on the Beatles level, you really need to take it down a peg. Basketball talent and game changing will not make you massive, what made Curry massive was what he did off the court

You can't just keep stating and restating this like it's truth. I know of many people--including many casuals--who light up with respect and wonder when you talk about what Curry can do on the court, and I honestly know absolutely no one who's said they really like Curry the person or personality. I've heard a few women say stuff like 'yeah he seems like a good guy' but that's it.

Why do you think being kind of vanilla and un-offensive is an extremely appealing quality? Curry has very little charisma or magnetism, but he's incredibly magnetic on the court (and v v successful) and in my read that's made enough people care about him, and then it's true they're not put off by him because of his nice-guy positive-vibe thing. But having like a mid-tier domestic-life social media influencer vibe really really doesn't make the masses salivate over you.

Why are you asking questions that are clearly answered in the OP

[Statlanta]

He stole the NBA from the OKC trio.

We were holding out hope for Harden Westbrook and Durant in 2015 due to injuries to the league but Curry shut the door when he eliminated fat Harden and then the Thunder duo in 2016.


Curry's regular season was probably the greatest RS run since early Michael Jordan, definitely the most entertaining for the casual fan.

We need somebody to steal the NBA from Curry/James. The production and likeability gap from Curry/James hasn't been supplanted yet even if their singular production has

[Godymas]

Can someone explain this recent fascination with "face of the league?"

I swear it was not something anyone cared about or talked about until 2 seasons ago.

It is the first time since the 80s that no one knows who will be the most recognizable NBA icon for the current. Since the 80s, which a significant length of time.

Ofc the easy answer could be Wemby, but it’s too early to know.

[Wingy]

You're grossly overrating what Curry was and you can look at the viewership #s of easily the best finals of maybe the century and see that it wasn't that far ahead of even Game 7 LA vs Boston in 2010 or the 1998 Bulls finals, and that finals was special, not because of Curry, but because of LeBron.

Giannis was 100% putting up video game #s, his #s are Steph Curry for his position. He won an MVP playing 30 mpg.

He was not the Beatles, he was not bigger than Jordan, please calm down, he was popular, I don't think he was ever bigger than a Tom Brady.

I'm trying to praise Curry here, and I have tell to you to glaze less, think about that.

You're talking about numbers, I'm talking about vibes. Giannis was putting up video game numbers, sure. Curry was taking video game shots. Like literally shots that people only take in video games. He was doing it for real.

And now everyone takes those shots. Look, Curry was big, but when you said he was on the Beatles level, you really need to take it down a peg. Basketball talent and game changing will not make you massive, what made Curry massive was what he did off the court

They take those shots because of Curry!!

Then some random Lebron nut washing tossed in? It was huge because they were playing each other. Why wouldn’t his other Finals runs generate just as big a buzz if it was just about Lebron?

I agree the Beatles is absolutely hyperbole, but Curry seems properly rated and acknowledged to me.

Everyone acknowledges him as the greatest shooter of all time, and that he was the primary leader changing the mindsets that changed the way the game is played.

[Godymas]

For people not understanding the point of this thread

Your grandmother knows Curry because she saw him next to Obama, not because she watched him on ESPN

[NyKnicks1714]

Can someone explain this recent fascination with "face of the league?"

I swear it was not something anyone cared about or talked about until 2 seasons ago.

Because LeBron's and Curry's careers are coming to a close, and they're still the two single biggest draws in the NBA despite other stars eclipsing them. It happened post-Jordan too in its own way, there was just no social media to amplify those conversations. The NBA needs players who will reliably attract fans.

[Optms]

Can someone explain this recent fascination with "face of the league?"

I swear it was not something anyone cared about or talked about until 2 seasons ago.

Yes they have. The moment Michael Jordan retired, it was basically finding the next face. And it was 100x worse 25 years ago than it was today.

Then Kobe left but we still had Lebron. Now people are seeing the writing on the wall with Curry and Lebron in their late 30s and its getting more buzz. Not quite on the level when Jordan left. But this has been something that fans have always talked about.

[Optms]

For people not understanding the point of this thread

Your grandmother knows Curry because she saw him next to Obama, not because she watched him on ESPN

Grandma doesn't know who Tim Duncan is and he's been to more White House trips than Curry has.