There’s a popular misconception fans often have about NBA players and, really, all professional athletes. It’s the belief these titans of the court and field are also somehow supernatural human beings when the lights lower and they’re in their regular lives. There’s a feeling pro athletes should be above the foibles and growing pains the rest of us inherit simply by being sentient human beings. Never is this more apparent than when the Media Industrial Complex reports on a rookie smoking cannabis, or getting drunk and tweeting something stupid. It’s like we all forget these are young men, prone to the same insecurities and childish behavior we all went through at that age.
But the inverse of this is also true. When a player experiences a meteoric rise to fame, we expect the warts to stand out. To offer a more timely simile, it like a leading presidential candidate impressing in the primary before a national campaign uncovers all manner of skeletons. Stephen Curry is ground zero for this second belief.
Here’s a paraphrased timeline of Stephen Curry’s trajectory during his still-inchoate career. He went from a little-known son of a former NBA player to an NCAA Tournament darling; from a mid-major star to an injury-prone NBA rookie, one without the requisite height and strength to succeed at the next level; from an overpaid Golden State risk (four years and $44 million was thought — at the time — to be way too much for the dainty ankles of Steph), to a lethal shooter and All-Star; from a one-trick pony, to the 2015 NBA MVP and NBA champion. And those last two stops on the Stephen Curry star train happened within a relatively short period of time, too. So, you could forgive the scrawny kid from Charlotte a few bumps along the way.
Except, to this day, Steph remains as humble as he ever was.
Last Wednesday, on an overcast morning 45 minutes outside of San Francisco at the TPC Harding Park, DIME and a number of other media outlets got a chance to hit some golf balls with Steph as part of a golf event hosted by DEGREE MEN. This was not our first time talking to the sharpshooter, either, as we’ve had a chance to interview him at length two times previously. He even tried to teach us to shoot. Coincidentally, the earlier chats gave us a first-hand look at a young man maturing into an NBA superstar. And not just any star, either. Unlike the freakishly long and skilled Kevin Durant, or the monstrous size and speed of LeBron, Steph looks like he might be ripping nylon at your local gym. No, Steph looks just like a fan. In fact, he’s just about the same height and weight as we are.
So, when we hit the driving range with him and other assorted media, it was like hitting the range with a friend instead of an NBA All-Star. For comparison’s sake, retired wing Steve Smith was also at the event for NBA TV, and, as we joked with him while warming up, it was impossible not to notice he was around simply because of his size.
But it’s not just Steph’s physical appearance that puts you so at ease; although, that certainly helps. No, it’s how comfortable he is with himself. How secure he is as a father, a husband and as an NBA MVP. There’s no awkwardness to Steph’s golf swing, or his demeanor. He knows what he’s about, and, because fame came to him later than it did for his more heralded peers in the 2009 Draft, he’s been spared the unctuous way the public can latch on to popular players and turn life into a drag of media appearances and autograph sessions. It can become so much, athletes are forced to put up imposing buffers between them and the rest of the world.
(It should be noted here, Steph was free of any overt body guards or extended entourages, and had only himself in his orbit as he joined us at the range. Take a look.)
While Curry’s entourage-less existence might change, especially as he was exposed to the downside of fame shortly before he offered golfing tips to the media, it’s a safe to say the pressures of that fame won’t wear away at him like it might for other people in his position.
“Having a family, we try to stay as normal as possible,” Steph told us when we brought up the fan tailing him and his family for an autograph. “Obviously, you’re under the spotlight when you’re on the court, but we try to have a life outside of basketball. So, protecting that privacy is the hardest thing to navigate. It’s a learning process, but it’s a good problem to have. When you’re successful, people wanna be attached and involved with your life.
“Stuff like, when people are following you — it was literally like 30 miles they tried to trail us — it was kind of scary at the same time, but you wanna just protect the privacy of your family and what you enjoy. Not let your world cave in too far.”
It’s so hard to explain what it is about Curry that separates him from other athletes at his elite level. Sure, there’s the obvious physical discrepancy, and the lack of an entourage, but that’s only part of it. You’ll get a chance to hear him answer our questions in our video roundup of the event later today, but there’s a genuine quality to him that’s impossible to feign.
A few of the everyday Warriors media members were in attendance at the DEGREE event and at the dinner they kindly hosted for us the night before. In between conversations about basketball, we obviously talked about Curry off the court. The biggest thing that stood out when talking to those who spend almost every day with Steph during the season, was the utter absence of dirt. Not just the traditional kind — so and so doesn’t like him, he’s abrasive in-person, he doesn’t like dogs, etc. — but the kind that all of us have. If you look at anyone’s life close enough, there are going to be things they aren’t so proud of. We’re sure that’s true of Steph, too, but it’s almost disconcerting how perfect he seems, not just on the court, but everywhere else, too.
You can chalk some of this up to his upbringing and his faith — Curry and his family attend church every Sunday. But while some people proselytize, he’s not trying to covert anyone. Religion just works for him. It might also be what keeps him as grounded as he seems. Once you turn yourself over to something greater, God in Steph’s case, it’s easier to stay firmly in the moment while avoiding the grandeur that can creep in when you’re consistently being gushed about.
Charles Barkley famously lampooned his status as a role model in an iconic Nike spot back in the 1990s. The gist of the ad was that Barkley was just a basketball player, and it’s the parents who should act as the real role models. Unfortunately, this theme isn’t ubiquitous yet, and youngsters around the world look up to professional athletes as a source of inspiration. And yes, even as role models. Oftentimes, they’re let down when these players don’t live up to those lofty standards.
Normally, we’d agree with Chuck; kids should look up to their parents more than any athlete. Talk to any sportswriter who spends enough time around professional athletes, and they’ll agree. A real jaded writer might even say athletes are the very worst role models for kids.
But Stephen Curry is the exception to that rule. Not just for his on-court wizardry, or his unruffled interactions with the media, but for who he is when the cameras aren’t on him.
