NBA Draft: 30 greatest draft picks in league history
13. player. 41. . Point Guard. Davidson Wildcats, 2009 (No. 7). Stephen Curry
Greatest NBA Draft picks in league history: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
The greatest shooter in the history of basketball was not always a sure thing. After leading mid-major Davidson to an unlikely Elite Eight run as a sophomore, Stephen Curry was a well-regarded prospect coming out of his junior year — but no one saw this coming.
The Phoenix Suns were reportedly enamored with Curry and tried to trade for him, but talks fell apart and the Golden State Warriors ended up taking him No. 7 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft.
The only reason he fell even that far was that the Minnesota Timberwolves inexplicably took two point guards not named Stephen Curry, allowing a magical pairing of Curry and Oakland to occur.
Curry has played 10 seasons with the Warriors to this point in his career, a career that is likely to continue for years on this team — and perhaps end there as well. Curry is the face of the franchise, the beloved son, the baby-faced assassin who turned the league on its head.
He has two NBA MVP awards already, including the first unanimous selection in league history. A six-time NBA All-Star, he will likely make his sixth All-NBA team this season as well.
During his tenure, the Warriors have won three titles in four seasons, won an unprecedented number of playoff games and are at the time of writing the favorites to take home a fourth title this season.
This ranking is based solely on his career accomplishments and not projecting into the future. Curry owns countless 3-point records, is the career postseason leader in 3-pointers and has boosted the Warriors’ profile in unbelievable ways. By the time he retires, there is no telling the heights he will have reached.