This week has provided a perfect time to reflect back on Steph Curry’s journey from a skinny kid out of Davidson to the pantheon of NBA greats.
Long before he was basketball’s all-time 3-point leader, and even before he donned a Golden State jersey, former Warriors guard Jason Richardson saw something special in Curry. Richardson joined 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Wednesday and relayed the story, which also involves a 12-year old tweet that has aged very nicely. You can listen to the full interview below:
Just four days after Golden State drafted Curry in June 2009, Richardson worked out with him, former NBA big man Brendan Haywood and renowned trainer Idan Ravin. Later that night Richardson sent out the following tweet:
J-Rich nailed that prediction.
“I knew right then, back then, the first time I saw him with my own eyes he was coming out of Davidson and the way he just shot the ball in the workout, it was something that I’ve never seen before,” Richardson told 95.7 hosts Matt Steinmetz and Daryle "The Guru" Johnson.
J-Rich and Steph stayed in contact. At that point of his career, Richardson was 28 and in the midst of his three-season tenure with the Phoenix Suns. A night before the Warriors and Suns played in the second game of the season – and second game of Curry’s career – it appears Richardson, Ravin and Steph all went out for dinner.
Richardson was serving a two-game suspension on Oct. 30 after pleading guilty to a DUI when the Warriors and Suns played, so he didn’t play against Curry that night. But he remembers what it was like to guard Steph, even way back then.
“First of all, you better be in shape,” Richardson said. “He is constantly moving, constantly moving. I’d definitely have to be in the best shape possible.”
The pair finally squared off on Dec. 26, 2009 at Oracle Arena, with the Warriors claiming a 132-127 victory. Richardson outscored Curry 22-13.
