Former Golden State Warrior Baron Davis has high praise for four-time NBA champion Steph Curry, listing him among the five best players of all time.
Baron Davis only spent part of four seasons with the Golden State Warriors from 2004-2008. Davis made six total stops in his two-time All Star 13-year career starting with Charlotte in 1999 as the third overall pick. Davis played 246 games in Hornet-teal — the most he played with any one club.
But Golden State is where Davis calls home. Emphatically. He was celebrating as such when the Warriors won the 2022 NBA championship.
“I always say when the Warriors win, I win,” Davis told FanSided. “I’m a part of the organization and the legacy. I’m a Warrior at heart, Warriors at heart.”
Baron Davis and Steph Curry are among the most beloved Warriors of all time
Not surprisingly being a self proclaimed “Warrior at heart”, Davis has high praise for NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry who is being talked about differently after winning his fourth championship. Curry defied the odds, doubters, defectors (Kevin Durant) and injuries to bring the Warriors back from a 15-win season in 2020 to the NBA mountaintop once again two years later.
“Steph Curry is a pioneer in this game,” Davis opined. “Juggernaut. Top five. Ain’t nobody had as great of an impact as Steph Curry. Ain’t nobody carved out a new position for a traditional position than Steph Curry. It’s only Steph and Magic (Johnson) at the point guards. Name me another point guard who’s been a game-changer.”
Somer who like to debate could offer up Allen Iverson and or Isiah Thomas. Thomas led the Pistons to two championships and could have had four. Davis made an interesting distinction when comparing Iverson and Curry.
“A.I. was a cultural icon,” Davis explained. “A.I. was celebrated and had to break barriers off the court for us. Steph Curry is breaking barriers on the court.”
There is no doubt the game is being played differently now and Curry has been the leader of the shoot-from-3 generation. The current style of play is here to stay unless the NBA does something drastic and moves the 3-point line back significantly.
Playing like Curry for a young aspiring hooper will not be easy to duplicate, but it is slightly easier to imagine a generation of basketball stars trying to perfect their step back three versus the Iverson crossover. Kids are going to step on the court and head right to the three-point-line.
“I just think when you think about Steph Curry and his impact, and you know, the next the next 15 years belongs to Steph,” Davis said. “All these kids are watching him and they want to be like him and shoot threes like him and play like him. So, you know, as far as impact and game changer, I mean, I gotta tip my hat to the kid. And he earned it. You know what I mean? He is top five. it’s cemented man, it is cemented.”
To be clear, Davis is saying that Curry is a TOP 5 PLAYER all-time, not just a top five point guard. Top-10 seems like a more reasonable debate when you consider names like Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James.
What cannot be debated is that Curry continues to move up the list. And that Davis is one of his biggest supporters.
Baron Davis has partnered with Hennessy to support Black communities and Black
entrepreneurs known for pushing the limits of their potential through the “Never Stop Never
Settle Society”.