About 13 years ago, Warriors general manager Larry Riley walked into Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis to watch a scrawny junior sharpshooter from Davidson named Steph Curry. Riley had seen Curry explode on the national stage in the NCAA Tournament earlier that year, when he led his school the Elite 8. But Riley wanted to see if Curry was tough enough for the NBA.
During an appearance with 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Wednesday, Riley recounted the “defining moment” for him when scouting Curry during college.
In that game on Dec. 20, 2008, Curry didn’t put up a flattering stat line. Swarmed by a physical Purdue basketball defense, Steph finished just 5-of-26 from the field for 13 points in a 76-58 loss, but Riley was impressed with the way he handled the constant checking, hand-swatting and bruising Curry endured throughout the night.
“He stood up to everything they threw at him,” Riley said. “I walked out of the gym that day thinking, ‘OK, this kid’s for real.’ I don’t remember how many times I saw him before or after, but that was the defining moment.”
Six months later, Riley and the Warriors selected Curry with the No. 7 overall pick despite a draft-day plea from his dad, Dell Curry, to let Steph fall to the New York Knicks at No. 8.
“What I saw was a young man who had the ability to shoot the ball and nobody doubted that,” Riley said. “But I also thought he wasn’t soft. People kind of thought, ‘Oh well, he’s a little bit soft, this and that and the other, and he’s not a true point guard.’ The reality is, we believed that he was. That’s the way we approached it.”
Listen to Bay Area sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Warriors team gear
Since then, Curry has outperformed all expectations, becoming the NBA’s all-time leading 3-point shooter Tuesday night in a magical night at Madison Square Garden. Riley was in attendance after being offered an invitation by Warriors president/general manager Bob Myers, who succeeded Riley in 2012. Riley called it a “classy” gesture by the organization while further reflecting on Steph’s development since draft day.
Riley said he was initially “terrified” that ankle issues would derail Curry’s career, but said Steph was helped immensely by a second ankle surgery in 2012.
“I thought we drafted a good point guard for the next 10 or 12 years,” Riley said. “I didn’t see all this coming. … I didn’t know he’d revolutionize the game and we all know he has.”
