Steph Curry is on the verge of breaking Ray Allen’s all-time NBA 3-point record and solidifying his status as the basketball’s greatest shooter ever. Crazy to think Curry and his wobbly ankles were surrounded by so many question marks as he started his Hall of Fame-worthy career with Golden State.
As Curry found his footing, he shared the backcourt with Warriors fan favorite Monta Ellis. Monta joined 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru” Friday to reminisce on his relationship with Curry over the years, how he laughed when Joe Lacob got booed in 2012, how he’s still hoping to play in the NBA and more. Check out the full interview below:
Ellis and Curry spent two-plus seasons together with the Warriors before Ellis was shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut in 2012. Monta said he always had a feeling Curry was destined for greatness.
“You could see it,” Ellis said. “He put in the time, he put in the work. He did all the necessary things to put himself in this position. From Day 1 he came in, coming into a lot of criticism. I think he embraced that, continued to work hard and got better of the years and put himself in position to where we’re talking about him breaking Ray Allen’s record.”
Ellis’ tenure with Curry got off to a weird start, as Monta told reporters at 2009 media he “just can’t” play with Steph, who was about to enter his rookie season.
“I just want to win,” Ellis said at the time, via Tim Kawakami. “That’s… not going to win that way.”
During his appearance Friday, Ellis said he could have handled the situation better.
“I was right at the end of the day,” Ellis said. “I probably could have approached that a little bit better. At that time, the West had big, big guards and they were pretty good. We had two small, 180 pounds wet two guards at the 1 and 2 position in the West, it was hard. It worked out. I always said it went the way it should be.”
During that era, the Western Conference featured such perimeter stars like Kobe Bryant, Russell Westbrook, Brandon Roy, Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans and Chauncey Billups. The Warriors went a combined 99-123 in the two-plus seasons Ellis and Curry were teammates, but hoisted their first trophy with Bogut at center in 2015.
While they never really clicked together in the backcourt for sustained periods of time, Ellis and Curry still stay in loose contact. Ellis said his wife, Juanika, and Curry’s wife, Ayesha, actually talk more than the former teammates.
“Me and him don’t talk as much,” Ellis said. “I know he’s a busy man and I’m doing the stuff that I am doing. We have a group text but we don’t text as much. We texted maybe a couple times then it was just nothing. I try to leave people be. I understand what he’s got going on and all the pressure that’s coming with him, being the face of the NBA. I just try to give him space. Whenever I see him, we catch up, link up.”
