Steph Curry is undoubtedly a Hall of Famer with all he has accomplished, though there was a time when NBA legend Michael Jordan doubted the four-time NBA champion’s resume and ability to make it to the sacred halls.
In October 2019, the Chicago Bulls legend was asked if Curry, then a three-time NBA champion, was deserving of a spot in the Basketball Hall of Fame. At the time, Jordan, speaking with Craig Melvin on “Today,” briefly shared why he believes Curry was not Hall of Fame worthy, despite the accolades he accumulated up to that point.
When asked if Curry was worthy of that position, Jordan said: “He’s still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet, though. He’s not.” However, it appears Jordan changed his tune when he talked face-to-face with the two-time NBA MVP a handful of years later.
When the two caught up at the Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits in 2021, Curry jokingly said that was the first thing he asked Jordan for clarification on. The star guard then said NBC Sports Bay Area cut out the conversation, just leaving the words of the guard as proof that Jordan had changed his mind.
“That was the first question, and they just edited it out,” Curry told The Athletic at the time. “He said, ‘First-ballot, Hall of Fame, no problem.'” Since that conversation in 2021, Curry has further cemented why he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame whenever he calls it a career.
At the end of the 2021-22 NBA season, Curry helped lead the Golden State Warriors to its fourth championship in eight years, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games, en route to his first NBA Finals MVP award. In the next two seasons after the championship, Curry was selected to two All-NBA teams, and two All-Star Games and won the Clutch Player of the Year award.
The only accolade Curry was missing was an Olympic gold medal, which he told his teammates one day after winning the 2022 NBA Finals. “I still got something to do,” Curry is overheard saying in a video posted by the Warriors on social media.
“I gotta go play for Coach Kerr is ’24. I gotta get something y’all got, I ain’t got. I ain’t good yet. I gotta go get an Olympic medal. Save me a spot bruh.” And it was clear Team USA would not have won gold without Curry.
In the semi-final game against Serbia, Curry scored 36 points – one away from the record Carmelo Anthony set in 2012 – and helped keep the United States in the game before hitting a 3-pointer to give Team USA the lead late. Then in the final against France, it was a Curry flurry that all but sealed the game for the United States.
As the game inched to its conclusion, the United States battled France, with both teams exchanging baskets for Olympic glory. However, Curry hit four straight 3-pointers, including a stepback dagger 3-pointer over two defenders that put the game out of reach.
After starting the Olympics slowly, Curry scored 60 points in the final two games, providing the punch Team USA needed to capture its fifth straight gold medal.
With an Olympic gold medal added to his collection that includes four NBA titles, two NBA MVPs, one NBA Finals MVP and many other accolades, Curry’s resume is padded to the point where he is a lock for the Hall of Fame. This is best evidenced by Basketball Reference’s Hall of Fame tracker, which shows Curry has a 100 percent probability of making it to the Hall of Fame.