Stephen Curry of the 90s, 6?1 Ex-NBA Star Overshadows 7ft Shaquille O?Neal at the College Level, Claims Renowned Director

The name Stephen Curry is synonymous with success in the game of basketball, but it was not the case when he first came into the NBA. A feature documentary titled Stephen Curry: Underrated is about to capture his journey from an NBA pro to a four-time champion. In a recent podcast featuring the movie crew, popular director Ryan Coogler compared a 90s basketball star to the Golden State Warriors talisman.

Towards the end of the podcast, Coogler mentioned the 2023 film Stand while talking about his inspirations. Interestingly, the film is based on a former NBA legend who shares multiple similarities with Curry.

Who is that 1990s NBA legend?

We are talking about none other than?Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf – the 6’1″ star who wreaked havoc in the NBA during the early 1990s. The former classmate of four-time NBA Champion Shaquille O’Neal was supposedly the best player in his college basketball team.“He is kind of being compared to Steph retroactively,” Coogler stated while talking about Abdul-Rauf’s legacy.

The yesteryear star played in the NBA for nine years in teams such as the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings. Abdul-Rauf led the NBA twice in his nine years in the free throw percentage and made a place for himself in the competitive league.

Despite being an in-demand talent, all was not well for Abdul-Rauf, even in his prime years. A controversy around his beliefs and standpoint cut his NBA career short, which sentenced him to the leagues around Europe and Asia. Amidst all these, Coogler still picked his film as one of his inspirations and drew a comparison with Stephen Curry for various reasons.

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What are the similarities between Stephen Curry and Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf?

Abdul-Rauf and Steph share many similarities, apart from turning their apparent ‘ height disadvantage’ into gifts. Both of them share an indistinguishable playing style and a high field goal percentage. Notably, Abdul-Rauf cemented his place as one of the best free-throw shooters, an attribute Curry has mastered over the years.

Another key similarity is their mentality. Both are not afraid to express themselves in court, even when success is not guaranteed. That’s what made them great and their stories worth telling.

It is impossible to estimate whether the 54-year-old influenced Steph indirectly along the latter’s journey. It could have been the case that the shadow of Abdul-Rauf’s legacy fell on the ‘3-point?god’ somehow. Whatever may have been the case, both of them have inspired their generations in their ways.

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