Despite winning back-to-back MVP trophies, Stephen Curry has been stigmatized with the “soft” label despite all of his accomplishments. Whether it's devaluing the all-time record of 13 threes in a game or a record-shattering 402 treys in the 2015-16 season, or even his inclusion in the rare 50-45-90 club, which made him the first unanimous Most Valuable Player — there's always an imminent doubt hovering over his name.
Teammate Draymond Green explained why he's constantly portrayed as a soft player unlike others who have accomplished as much or even less than he has during his career.
“People just automatically think that, ‘Man, this guy ain't from the hood, he ain't cut like that, he ain't cut from a different cloth. He's supposed to be soft and this, that,'” Green said recently on his Uninterrupted “Dray Day” podcast. “And of course, Steph is light-skinned, so they want to make him out to be soft.”
Unlike their high-flying counterparts like Russell Westbrook and John Wall, both explosive leapers that should have an athletic advantage at the rim, Curry ranked first among guards in field goal percentage in the restricted area. Curry also had the overall highest field goal percentage in the paint among qualifying guards throughout last season, per the Sports Quotient.
In 2015, there was also a story which noted Curry could deadlift 400 pounds, the second-most in the team after former Warriors center Festus Ezeli.
Unlike other highly-touted, bigger stars in the league, Curry's beginnings weren't as glamorous as others, coming out Davidson College, a school that had not won more than two games in the NCAA tournament in the history of the program.
“He's way more than what everyone expected him to be or ever gave him a shot to be,” Green said.
Whether it's a racial divide or simply a misconception, Curry has done his utmost to silence his doubters, putting up the numbers year after year, but nothing flexes a bigger muscle than adding championship hardware at the end of the season.
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