Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is often regarded as the best long-range shooter of all-time. He's also a four-time champion and is establishing himself as one of the best players in NBA history. Chris “Mad Dog” Russo not only said that Curry isn't a top 10 player ever on Wednesday during an ESPN First Take segment, but Russo proceeded to disrespect the Warriors superstar, via LoonMuse on X (formerly Twitter).

“How do I make him top five ever when I got Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar), Wilt (Chamberlain), (Bill) Russell, and LeBron (James) and (Michael) Jordan?” Russo said. “That's five right there. I didn't give you Magic (Johnson), I didn't give you (Larry) Bird, I didn't give you (Tim) Duncan, I didn't give you Shaq (Shaquille O'Neal). I mean, how in the world could he be top five? He's not even better than (Kevin) Durant, and I'm not putting Durant in the top 10.”

Russo's take here is questionable, but some people around the NBA world may actually agree with him. Stephen Curry is a great player but there are analysts who may believe that he isn't a top 10 all-time player yet. But it is what Russo says next that will catch your attention.

“Listen, he's a nice shooter. Nobody is arguing with that.”

Stephen A. Smith couldn't believe what he heard. Host Molly Qerim called Russo out for his blatant disrespect towards the best three-point marksman in NBA history.

“A nice shooter? That is disrespectful and that is messed up!” Qerim said.

Stephen Curry has been silencing critics throughout his career

Russo isn't a stranger to making controversial takes. After all, it gets attention. But even he has to know that his statement is disrespectful.

This doesn't even come down to one's opinion, as Stephen Curry literally holds the NBA all-time three-point record.

Sure, Golden State's 2023-24 campaign hasn't gone according to plan. At 35 years old, Curry is still performing at an elite level, however.

The Warriors guard is currently averaging 28.0 points per game on 46.4 percent field goal and 42.1 percent three-point shooting. Curry is averaging less rebounds and assists than he has in previous seasons, but Russo's comments about Curry's shooting ability are simply wrong.

After all, we are talking about a player who has shot 42.7 percent from beyond the arc for his career. Stephen Curry finds the bottom of the net on a consistent basis, especially from long-range.

But it's more than numbers and statistics for Curry. You have to watch him play to truly understand his greatness. He's capable of pulling up from anywhere on the floor, even from beyond half court, and connecting on his attempts. He's accomplished things in the game of basketball that weren't seen before he entered the league.

Maybe Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is just trying to get attention. In fact, I hope that's all he's doing because if he actually believes that Curry is only a “nice shooter”, then he probably shouldn't be discussing basketball on ESPN.