Stephen Curry’s Former Teammate Recalls “Gangster” Message From Highest-Paid NCAA Coach That Led the 6’10 Star to the NBA

College coaches are some of the most respected names in the world of basketball. After all, they play a huge role in the life of a young athlete looking to make it big in life. One of the most respected names in the country is John Calipari, who is the Kentucky head coach. Coach Cal, as he is affectionately known, has produced some big talents like DeMarcus Cousins, who has played with four-time NBA champion Stephen Curry.

On a recent podcast appearance with Boston Celtics legend Kevin Garnett, the former Kentucky starlet talked about an interesting conversation he had with Coach Cal. Interestingly, this conversation turned out to be a huge factor in his life.

Former teammate of Stephen Curry gives huge revelation about Coach Cal’s mindset

Coach Cal has built quite a reputation for himself over the years, having produced 45 NBA draft picks and even three #1 overall picks. This has led to him being the highest paid college basketball coach, earning $8.5 million a year in 2023.

DeMarcus Cousins, who played one season under Coach Cal, faced a tricky situation ahead of him after being selected as an All-American in 2010. Boogie Cousins was ready to declare for the league, but was very skeptical about the same.

One conversation with Coach Cal cleared his head and made him realize that this was something he had to do. The 4 times NBA All-Star himself revealed this while conversing with 2008 NBA champ Kevin Garnett.

Cousins said, “I had a conversation with Cal, I’m like, ‘Cal, I’m thinking about coming back’. Me and Cal conversation, this is the end of the year joint. This the end of the year meeting and the conversation lasted about three minutes.”

He further revealed, “So, I’m like, ‘I’m thinking about coming back’. Cal’s like, all I got to say is, ‘if you wanna take care of your family, you’re gonna leave. If you wanna take care of my family, you going to stay.”

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What happened next changed Cousins’ life forever. The Sacramento Kings drafted him as the 5th overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft. Boogie Cousins last played during the 2021-22 NBA season with the Denver Nuggets.

Calipari has an unreal record in the NBA draft

Coach Cal is widely known for producing some of the best talent and his achievements are a clear reflection of that. John Calipari recently produced his 16th first-round draft pick, and this extends his own record.

Cason Wallace, who was coached by Calipari, went as the 10th overall pick and he will be joining the Dallas Mavericks. Names like Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, and Jamal Murray, to name a few, are all talents produced by Cal. That is quite a catalog!

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What is your favorite memory of Coach Cal? Let us know in the comments below.