Stephen Curry's evolution as the leader of the Golden State Warriors has come a long way since asserting himself as a top-of-the-line star in this league. Besides being one of the most dangerous weapons on the court, the 6-foot-3 floor general has found ways to impact his teammates — a trait that has earned him the captain title in the last few years.
Curry is a showman, an artist of a kind — with dazzling dribbling moves and eye-popping range and accuracy from all around the floor, but his leadership revolves around leading by example — a notion Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has figured out in his three-plus years under the helm.
“I think it's how hard he works combined with his humility off the floor,” said Kerr, according to ESPN's Chris Haynes. “He's just a decent human being; such a nice player. He's obviously a superstar player, but he acts like he's the 12th man.”
“I can get on him in film sessions and he never seems to mind. He leads by example. He's a great guy, a great teammate and the players respect him. That's what a captain is about.”
Perhaps the greatest example of his unselfishness was during his own ankle injury, one that put him out of commission for the remainder of December, as Santa Cruz Warriors product Quinn Cook was called in for a run with the defending champions.
Article Continues Below“He met with me in the locker room to go over a certain number of plays and suggested ones I should stick with,” Cook said. “At that time, I had limited practices and game action. He actually sat me down, and was patient. He did the same thing at halftime too. This occurred every game he was out. He would tell me what he saw and how to adjust.”
“Most people stay away from the team to treat and focus on their injuries. He was definitely still there for the team, but especially there for me when I needed it most.”
Cook started in his first game with the team and had a decent showing, but Curry was right by his side, asking him to be more aggressive, to take the shots he usually takes and let the flow of the game come to him.