In basketball, glory and titles ensure that a group of teammates in history. Remember Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the Bulls? Remember Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal for the Lakers? However, camaraderie, synergy, and understanding create an unforgettable experience for athletes. Stephen Curry’s selection of his favorite teammates of all time reflects this approach. However, Curry didn’t name Kevin Durant among his favorites.

During his Heat Check podcast with father Dell Curry, the Chef named the best teammates he played with. “Klay (Thompson), Draymond (Green), Andre (Iguodala), Nate Robinson, actually for me. And Dorrell Wright,” Curry unraveled.

Iguodala sits in the same company as Thompson and Green. Additionally, his “cynical” humor also aided his bond with Stephen Curry. Nate Robinson only spent one season with the two-time MVP. But because of his antics and thrilling nature, Curry loved spending time with him. Wright’s role was probably the most unique. He helped Curry debunk the NBA landscape seamlessly when he was still a fresh face in the league.

“Durrell, because, it was my second year in the league, and he was kind of…..it’s between him and Ronny Turiaf, as the two guys that really helped me understand the professional or the NBA environment, in the sense of, kind of, things I needed to know how to maneuver, how to move on and off the court, on the road trips, even like the simple stuff of how to handle logistics and know how in different cities,” he said of him.

That leaves a glaring question. What about Kevin Durant? Curry spent three seasons with him, won two championships and as a tandem, they were looked at as the most havoc-causing duo in the NBA. So did something go wrong?

Stephen Curry didn’t accept Kevin Durant

The record books remember the unstoppable partnership between Durant and Curry. Moreover, the Chef’s willingness to embrace another superstar, despite his own potential for greatness, underscores his team-first mentality. However, the adjustment wasn’t instant. It took Curry over two months to fully blend with the Slim Reaper.

“It was hard for Steph cause it was an adjustment. He didn’t make the adjustment until Christmas game! After that Christmas game, I think, you know, there was an internal conversation amongst them two, which it had to be. Like, look, ‘I need you to be Steph Curry’. And once Steph was like, ‘Alright, you know, KD good, he’s good with us’. It was like unstoppable from there,” their former teammate Shaun Livingstone said about them.

After the conversation, there was no difficulty. Curry accepted a marginalized role to foster something greater than an individual legacy. He focused on winning, which ultimately helped him understand the intricacies required to win again. There is no love lost between the two even after their split.

In fact, their relationship is now stronger, and might even be better than when they were teammates.