Stephen Curry has already cemented his place as the greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history, and those long-range bombs make up a good amount of the top plays of his career. The Golden State Warriors superstar, however, isn't just a one-trick pony. Curry owns an insane handle that allows him to create his own shots, master the art of shooting off the dribble, and craftily finish at the rim despite his lanky 6-foot-3 frame.
With all his offensive tools, highlighted by his elite shooting, Curry can score from literally anywhere on the floor. The two-time MVP has made a career of top plays, so here are Stephen Curry's top 10 highlights from his NBA career.
10. Bounce-oop to Giannis
One of Stephen Curry's top plays happened during the 2019 All-Star Game.
In the middle of the annual exhibition of the NBA's best, Curry threw an insane bounce pass alley-oop to Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The ball went up so high that The Greek Freak needed to reach out and stretch to catch the ball and finish the one-handed tomahawk spike.
This takes an incredible amount of chemistry to pull off. The two superstars definitely showed that on this play. Could we see this pairing head to The Bay soon?
9. Game-winner vs. Dallas
Which one? Stephen Curry has a number of top plays against the Dallas Mavericks, torturing them with numerous game-winners against them throughout his career. Arguably his best one came late in the 2013-14 season.
With the game tied at 120-all in overtime, the Warriors were able to secure a huge defensive stop. This left Golden State with one final crack to win the game on the road.
The ball inevitably went to Curry, who milked the clock for the final shot. With five seconds remaining in the game, Curry went for his move and nailed the step-back jumper on the left wing, leaving just 0.1 seconds on the game clock to stun the Dallas crowd.
8. Game-winner vs. Orlando
This game-winner came with a little bit more pressure because Golden State was down by two points heading into the final play. Again, Golden State secured a stop and elected to play it out.
The ball, of course, went to the Warriors superstar. Stephen Curry sized up a helpless, backpedaling Tobias Harris. With a little crossover, Curry sent Harris reeling and rose up for the side-step 3-pointer that sent the Oracle Arena crowd into a frenzy.
7. Rudy Gobert goes round and round
Bad things are bound to happen when you have a 7-foot-1 center guarding a 6-foot-3 point guard on the perimeter. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert found himself on an island against Stephen Curry in Game 1 of their second-round series in the 2017 postseason. Things did not go well for the future Defensive Player of the Year.
Curry shook the Frenchman with a series of dribble moves and crossovers that drew “oohs” and “ahhs” from the Oracle crowd. Gobert tried his best to keep in step with Curry. Unfortunately, Curry made him look silly as Gobert went around in circles trying to chase around the shifty 6-foot-3 guard. Curry finished with a nifty reverse layup to complete the play.
6. Rainbow over Kevin Love
Stephen Curry set an NBA Finals record with nine 3-pointers made in Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals. The two-time MVP drained five of his nine triples in the fourth quarter.
Arguably the best of the bunch is the looping 3-pointer he made over Kevin Love just as the shot clock expired.
As you can see below, Curry actually tried to put some moves on Love first, but then lost his handle on the ball. This forced the 6-foot-3 superstar to backpedal some more. As he saw the the shot clock wind down, Curry had no choice but to hoist up a desperation trey from way beyond the arc. The ball swished through the net as the Warriors continued to pull away from the Cavaliers.
5. Dancing with LeBron
Stephen Curry had been embarrassed by LeBron James the year before when The King emphatically blocked his shot in the Finals and proceeded to talk trash to him. James also spoiled the Warriors' historic 73-win season by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit and winning the NBA title.
In 2017, the Cavs and Warriors met again in the Finals. On this particular play, Curry sort of got his redemption on James. Curry had LeBron guarding him in isolation, and then the two-time MVP put on a series of crossovers and made James run in circles before beating him to the cup with a layup.
4. Looping triple over Anthony Davis
Golden State trailed for the majority of Game 3 in its first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2015 playoffs. The Warriors, however, staged a late-game comeback and found themselves down by five points with less than 20 seconds remaining. Stephen Curry nailed a triple to cut the lead down to two. New Orleans failed to close out the game by missing a free throw that would have made it a two-possession contest.
Golden State got the opportunity for a final shot and inevitably went to the superstar point guard. Curry, however, missed his first 3-pointer, a contested step-back fading away shot. Marreese Speights retrieved possession and shoveled a pass to Curry in the corner. Curry threw up a rainbow triple over the outstretched arms of Anthony Davis and swished the 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
The Warriors eventually won in OT and closed the deal with a sweep in Game 4.
3. Down goes CP3
The Warriors surprisingly emerged as one of the best teams in the league during the 2014-15 season. Likewise, Stephen Curry took his massive leap into superstardom and looked poised to grab the title of “Best Point Guard in the NBA” from Chris Paul, who had held that honor for a number of years through the first half of 2010s.
Almost a year removed from getting eliminated by Paul and the Clippers, Curry gave CP3 the business with a nasty behind-the-back crossover that sent the Clippers star to the floor.
The two recently shared a good laugh about the highlight, with Paul conceding that Curry got him on that play.
“You got me.” CP3 giving Steph his props for dropping him in 2015. 🤣 pic.twitter.com/paRzhxPh5S
— Chris Montano (@gswchris) April 6, 2020
2. Bad shot against the Clippers
Stephen Curry had another one of his top plays against the Clippers, and this was a truly ridiculous shot. The Warriors superstar managed to escape four defenders with crossovers and behind-the-back dribbles. With his back behind the basket, Curry turned around and surprisingly launched a 3-pointer from the top of the circle that hit nothing but nylon.
Yes, this was definitely an ill-advised shot. There were still 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock. Just look at Steve Kerr's reaction as Curry hoisted up the shot.
But, hey, the important thing is he made it, right?
1. Shot heard around the world
This is undoubtedly the top play of Stephen Curry's career to date, and it's nothing short of iconic.
The reigning MVP, in the midst of his historic 2015-16 season, was playing an unbelievable game to help keep the Warriors in step with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC led for most of the game, but Golden State managed to send the game into overtime.
Curry had already drained 11 3-pointers at that point. With both teams knotted at 118, Westbrook failed to give the Thunder the lead down the stretch. The Warriors gained possession with less than five seconds remaining in OT. Electing not to call a timeout, Curry dribbled down the floor and launched from way beyond the arc.
And so goes the iconic call from Mike Breen: “Curry, way downtown … BANG! BANG! Oh what a shot from Curry!”
Curry drained the 40-footer and sank the hearts of each and every person at Chesapeake Energy Arena that night.
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