Kobe Bryant once said, “No matter how difficult the challenge is, always stay positive and believe in yourself.” Even though things can go really bad on the basketball court, a hooper cannot show it on his face, as it would only give additional fuel to the rival team. The task of ensuring it increases once you’re the leader of your team, as what you do reflects on the rest of your squad. Stephen Curry seems to be aware of this fact, as a former player, who is well acquainted with the Warrior, recently highlighted. Being a shareholder of the RCD Mallorca football club, Steve Kerr took some time out to engage in conversation with the roster.

When discussing the roles that players need to play to ensure their team’s success, Steve Kerr thought of no one better to use as an example than Steph, who he has been coaching for over a decade now. By highlighting the perfect picture of joy and competition that the player painted, the head coach stated, “So, when you watch him play, you can see he’s always smiling. But also, when he’s on the bench, he’s running around the bench. He’s waving his towel.”

“He has so much joy for his teammates that it generates this amazing, beautiful teamwork,” Kerr concluded. Stephen Curry has often followed the philosophy of enjoying what one does. During a 2015 interview with Time Magazine, he went on to state, “I guess I play a very creative style of basketball. I have fun out there on the court, smiling, laughing, trying to have good demeanor.” This, he credits as being amongst the reasons why he has been able to connect well with fans.

Steve Kerr himself had said earlier that Steph Curry’s joy is one of the greatest gifts he brings to the team. After all, as highlighted by Golden State of Mind: ‘When players are joyful, they play free; when they play free, they play in a zone that leads to championships.’

Dubbed ‘The Happy Warrior’ by GQ in 2017, it highlighted the player as being someone for whom basketball is a part of life but not life entirely. As mentioned by his wife Ayesha, “Steph wants that championship as much as anybody ever could. But he doesn’t need that ring to complete his own sense of who he is and what he’s worth. Win or lose, he’s the same happy guy.” By not being too upset in the face of disappointment, Curry may directly or indirectly create an impact amongst his teammates to follow his path.

There is a reason why a recent YouGov report ranked Stephen Curry 3 in their most popular contemporary basketball players list (right behind LeBron James and Caitlin Clark) and why, at 58.1 million, he currently boasts the 2nd-highest followers on Instagram. Apart from his on-court prowess, the player has built a reputation for having a personality that makes him likable not only amongst fans but also his teammates. Former Warriors star Jordan Bell even claimed that the four-time champion is a “people person”, revealing how he was amongst the first people to come up to him during his rookie year and ask him how he was, his name, etc.

In the history of the NBA, several team leaders have used different strategies to keep their teams motivated. Both MJ and Kobe Bryant adopted a bully-like personality, with the latter even stating, on Facebook, “Are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain?” Stephen Curry may push his teammates as well, but by smiling and showing care, he creates the same impact through different means. Unfortunately, even the most ‘smiling’ and motivated players can feel down when the tide changes against their favor. The worst brunt of it is faced when the action is caused by a fellow teammate, as Steph found out the hard way!

Stephen Curry was almost brought to tears after Draymond Green’s ejection: “Really unforgivable”

When discussing the Warriors players who come under the category of ‘troublesome’, many would choose to play Draymond Green there. While the 34-year-old is an exceptional player, his competitive nature has often caused issues that put him and his teammates into trouble. After being suspended for 17 days (8 games) in total in light of separate incidents involving Rudy Gobert and Jusuf Nurkic, many assumed the player would change. Unfortunately, they were wrong.

Back in March, during a game against the Orlando Magic, Green ended up questioning the validity of two separate foul calls. As a result, he received two technical fouls. After refusing to back down even then, he was removed from the game by the referee within four minutes of game time! The Warriors were going through a bad loss streak at that point, and Green’s suspension didn’t help. As a result, Stephen Curry ended up displaying some heart-wrenching on-court emotions, visibly crying after Green’s exit.

Steve Kerr didn’t hesitate to address this. “It was really unforgivable” said the nine-time NBA champion about Green. “And I think Steph may have been a little upset with himself for not pulling Draymond out of there but I think mostly it was just, come on, man.”

The need for Stephen Curry’s ‘happy’ quality will be more essential going forward, now that the Warriors will play without Klay Thompson!

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.