“It’s going to be emotional for sure,” the two-time MVP tells Boardroom, “but the way I’ve gotten here is staying in the moment.”
As the Golden State Warriors open their season Tuesday at Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers, Stephen Curry is approaching a milestone that would leave no doubt that the two-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion is the greatest shooter in league history.
Curry needs 143 made 3-pointers to pass Ray Allen as the all-time leader in made threes. Curry hit 337 triples last season in a resurgent 2020-21 campaign that saw him finish No. 3 in league MVP voting behindDenver’s Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid.
As part of a wide-ranging conversation over Zoom with Boardroom’s Nick DePaula, the 33-year-old future Hall of Famer discussed when he’ll break the record and how he feels about reaching such a monumental milestone.
“I kind of know the timeframe based on three or four 3s a game, what that’ll look like,” Curry told Boardroom, “but the way I’ve gotten here is staying in the moment.”
When Curry passed Reggie Miller on Jan. 23 for second on the all-time list, it was a surreal moment for the seven-time All-Star because he’d thought about it ever since he entered the league in 2009.
“Every year that you have a year that pushed the envelope from a 3-point shooting perspective,” Curry said, “that becomes more and more consistent, and it’s been like that for the last five years. It’s just surreal, man.”
Ever since he was a child, Curry said he looked up to Miller and Allen, even getting to play against Allen toward the tail end of his career with the Miami Heat. If Steph hits four 3-pointers per game, he’s set to break Allen’s all-time record around New Year’s Day.
“I can’t wait for that, whenever that is, that night to happen,” Curry said. “It’s going to be emotional, for sure, because I know us three can truly say we’re the only ones who know what it’s like to shoot at that level. And I hope they feel that appreciation for the inspiration that they gave me to think that I could do it myself.”