Michael Jordan, back in 2019, spoke to NBC’s Craig Melvin, “He’s still a great player. Not a Hall of Famer yet though.” Since then, Stephen Curry has added his fourth championship, multiple All-Star selections, and a Finals MVP award. Plus, even with a coveted place on the NBA 75 list and an Olympic Gold this year, another legend from the ’80s, who even saw the potential firsthand, feels the Chef is not “INFLUENTIAL” enough.

Replying to a fan tweet, Eddie A Johnson stated, “The 4 most INFLUENTIAL in last 40 years. Erase your minuscule 30. Magic, Bird, MJ, and LeBron.” The 17-year veteran was known for his scoring prowess and managed an average of 47.2% from FG, with a total of 19,202 points. On the other hand, Stephen Curry is currently ahead with 47.3% but once as a kid, he had a clear lead over the former sixth man of the year.

Being close friends with Dell Curry, Johnson once took a challenge with the 7-year-old Curry. Reminiscing the same, he said, “I’m looking up. We’re playing a game of 10, and this dude [is] up 7-nothing. I said, ‘Hold up now, now. I’m in the NBA. I’m one of the top shooters in the game, okay?’” the current Phoenix Suns color analyst stated on the Outside Shots podcast. Johnson would eventually start backing it up with layups to beat the Baby Face Assassin, as his pride was on the line. Similarly, it seems the fan’s take on the influential player touched a nerve.

Not just Stephen Curry, but Eddie Johnson in his post omitted Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson from the initial lineup. They were replaced by players who were arguably responsible for NBA growth before MJ, Larry Bird, and Magic Johnson. And of the current players, the Illinois alumnus chose the scoring leader, LeBron James.

Stephen Curry has yet to respond to Eddie A Johnson’s claims. However, back in 2019, the same year when Jordan critiqued the Golden State Warriors star, he did have a reply.

Stephen Curry had a positive outlook on MJ’s criticism

Everybody knew his shooting prowess, but the 36-year-old exceeded expectations when he lit up the Olympics. Ever since the performance, the conversation has rapidly shifted from discussing whether he is the best shooter to including him in the GOAT debate. However, Stephen Curry felt he had not achieved enough.

Speaking to Full Size Run’s Matt Welty during an exclusive interview for Sole Collector, the Warriors #30 stated, “I think I’m good, but then I’m never complacent.” And was fully aware that he had to prove more not to the world, but to himself. He also had an opinion on Jordan and the GOAT debate, “When you hear a guy like that who’s the greatest of all time, it’s kind of funny. Since we’ve been on this stage, we’ve heard a lot of retired guys chiming in on this generation of basketball players and evaluating talent and saying their generation was better and all that.”

During the 2019 interview, Stephen Curry felt that such conversations are great for fans to debate. Once again, he reiterated that he had to prove himself first, but it feels like the Chef has cooked the critics and continues to perform. His latest one-year contract extension made him the first NBA player to earn more than $60 million for a season. And with his plans to retire in the Bay Area, it seems there is nothing that might slow him down.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.