The outpour of Steph Curry haters has come out of the woodwork in the past few months. The lack of ability to see through their foolish, blind hatred and appreciate the body of work that is Steph Curry is a phenomenon all on its own. I have noticed that there are different types of Curry haters. Some may fit into more than one category, but, surely every Curry hater must fit into or have traits from at least one.
The “I am stuck in the past, he shoots too many 3’s, that’s not basketball” Hater: This one is one of the more common. Mostly the older generation, Michael Jordan fanboys or former NBA players. Like it or not, the game has changed. It is a different game now than it was ten years ago, and it will be a different game ten years from now. Change is a part of life. Comparing any players game today to that of a player that was dominant in the league 15 years ago is not a fair assessment. The NBA had become a ref-driven league. The refs have a larger part in the game now than ever before. A player in 2016 can’t even brush up against another player without be called for a ticky tack foul. That same play in 1995 wouldn’t have been noticed by a ref. Provided, it was a rougher, tougher sport. However, that no longer exists. The emergence of the 3-pointer in its commonality is here to stay. When Reggie Miller was doing it with ease, he was a finesse shooter, Steph Curry does it and it is hurting the game. Double Standard at its finest.
The “I think Lebron James is better” Hater: So, it seems as though if you are obsessed with Lebron James, it is all the more reason for you to dislike Steph Curry, after all, Curry is the reason why Lebron has not been the center of attention like in years past. There can’t be two superstars in the league, someone always has to choose sides. Newsflash, you can still like Lebron James and still be a Curry fan. Listening to some misinformed tool on a recent sports show say that they would sign Lebron to a 5-year contract any day over Curry was comical, for many reasons. I will not get into the Curry vs. James argument, instead, I will save that for another day. However, Curry is a 6’3, 185 pound PG, Lebron is 6’8, 250 pound SF, to even compare these two players is asinine.
The “I like underdogs, or I am sick of seeing him” Hater: Really?? I like underdogs, so I don’t accept greatness, instead I shun it, hate it even. This is just idiotic. There is nothing wrong with rooting for the underdog, I feel that most of us have done it at one point. But, not liking Curry because he is too good means one thing, you are not a true basketball fan. A true basketball fan appreciates greatness in every form. A fair-weather fan roots for whoever they feel like it at the time.
The “He is overrated” Hater: This one takes the cake. In the 2015-16 season coming off a championship, Curry smashed his previous record of 286 3 Pts. made with 402, shot 50% from the floor, averaged over 30 pts. with six assists and 5 rebounds per game. A year that could arguably be considered the best year of any player in the history of the game. Michael Jordan is the only player that has had that statline (minus the 3 pointers) for 3 seasons, except Jordan never hit more than 85 percent of his free throws to Steph’s over 90 percent. No, I am not comparing Jordan to Curry before you jump down my throat. Comparisons like that cannot be made until Curry’s career comes to a close. Jordan has a body of work that speaks for itself. I am showing you this stat line to prove there is no argument to claim Curry is overrated.
The “He gets every call” Hater: Again, for those biased fans with no objectivity, every “great” player in the league gets a free pass once in a while. Lebron James can straight body slam someone and not be called for the flagrant. Westbrook could travel all the way to the concession stand yet not get called for the walk. Using the refs as an excuse not to like Curry is never going to work. The officiating is all around atrocious in the league and has been for some time. Don’t blame it on Steph.
Lastly, the Player Hate: That is the best. Lebron, who has never been known for his maturity or tactfulness, is jealous of all of the Curry attention. Lebron who has never been one to shy away from attention, but who does just the opposite (ex. The Decision debacle), can’t stand not being the best player in the NBA anymore. Followed behind Lebron in the hater department are Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, two of the league’s best all-around players who always fall short can’t hide their contempt, especially when they are being made a fool on the court.
Bottom line: Haters gonna Hate. I will leave you with this, in the words of the incredible Joe Joe White: “What I love about it is, we are witnessing greatness,” Hall of Famer Jo Jo White, who played from 1969-81, said. “We are seeing the result of hard work and it is showing itself with the level he is playing at. I don’t believe you can say we would have stopped him in our era by doing this or that because we had players who were showing that kind of excellence before, like Wilt Chamberlain or Jerry West. And it was very difficult to stop them then.”
