Kirby Inot.
The idea came to fruition when one of my family friends asked me if I wanted to go to a Brooklyn Nets game, and, of course, I said yes! The man who asked me to go organized basketball runs at our local gym. He is a coordinator for Philusa Basketball in Staten Island and he said that the NBA reached out to various local Filipino basketball organizations and offered tickets to the Filipino heritage night game.
In return, we would get a section with other Filipino basketball fans/players of the game and free custom jerseys that came with the tickets.
This was my third time going to a Brooklyn nets game as a fan. I’ve kept up with basketball for almost everyday of my life ever since the 6th grade. Basketball is a big sport in the Philippines, and having this opportunity helped me realize how much the NBA cared about my people and raising recognition of Filipino talent on and off the basketball court.
One of my next big plans is tentatively titled, Kirby Inot Stephen Curry Slam Dunk Project.
Stephen Curry when he was a Davidson College Sophomore being interviewed after the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament against Gonzaga University. Picture courtesy Apple TV
The NBA has been around since 1946, and the game of basketball was invented around 1891. Since then, many elements of the game have changed.
The sport evolved as more and more people fell in love with it. One person who fell in love, Stephen Curry, perfected the art of shooting a basketball. He is arguably the greatest shooter in basketball history.
On October 12, 1979, the NBA introduced the 3-point line about 23 feet away from the basket. The league introduced this as an additional way to score in the game. During that time, however, teams didn’t really capitalize on the 3-pointer line as a weapon of scoring.
After the 3-point line was introduced, NBA teams averaged about 2.8 3-point attempts per game. In the 2000-2010 era of basketball, teams averaged about 16 3-point attempts per game.
In the 2021-2022 season NBA teams average about 34.4 3-point attempts per game, according to NBA.com. That’s about double the attempts teams have taken since the 2000s, and that stat has only been increasing ever since.
Since the 2015-2016 Golden State Warriors 73-9 season, NBA teams became inspired to shoot more threes per game. All because of Stephen Curry’s impact on the game.
Now teams operate in a way that can get the most points in a possession, centered around making a 3-point shot. In the YouTube talk show UNDISPUTED: Skip and Shannon, Skip Bayless says “going back in the 70s, what was ‘the shot’ in basketball? It was the slam dunk.”
However in today’s s league, teams have been increasing their shots per game, and Shannon Sharpe said in the show, “It’s a make or miss league. If you making ’em, you win, if you miss, you losing.”
Curry, the son of Wardell Curry (who was known for his sharpshooting skills in the NBA), inherited the shooting ability of his father. Steph went to his father’s NBA games in Charlotte as a kid, studying the game and often shooting around before games alongside his brother and father.
The NBA Scouts: They Really, Really Blew It
During the early years of his career Curry was overlooked by scouts with big influential repurations. In high school Curry was no more than 6 feet tall and 160 pounds.
According to a BlogSpot where NBA players scouting reports are published, it was said that Curry “doesn’t have the size, the strength, or the lateral quickness/athleticism to defend shooting guards in the league.” He is also going to run into some issues at the point as well.
Stephen Curry before he started setting records in the NBA. Picture courtesy of Apple TV.
His first step leaves much to be desired, and it more than likely will mean that Curry will have problems beating NBA points off the dribble,” according to ballinisahabit.blogspot.com 2009. Bottom line, scouts at the time stated, “He probably is never going to end up being a star in the league because of a lack of explosiveness (meaning he will be a huge defensive liability), he should be able to hang around the league because of the all-around offensive package he brings to the table.”
Since Curry couldn’t get any scholarship offers to any D1 college program, he attended Davidson College. He finished second in scoring his freshman year, behind Kevin Durant. In his 2007-2008 run in college, Curry earned, “First all-time in 3-point field goals made in a season: 162 3-pointers,” according too Wittry of NCAA.com, and led his Davidson team to its first Elite 8 appearance in over 40 years.
Growing up, Curry admired and studied the game of Ray Allen and Reggie Miller with their catch and shoot shots, fadeaways off the screen, and work ethic off the court. Curry stroved to put in the hours to become a great shooter. They all put in an immense number of hours into their craft to perfect it. Curry, Allen, and Miller are arguably the greatest shooters in NBA history.
But Curry, as far as this writer is concerned, is the greatest shooter of all time.
On December 14, 2021, Curry became the all-time 3-point leader with 2,974 career 3-pointers, he made his second three of the night with 7:33 remaining in the first quarter against the New York Knicks. Curry surpassed Ray Allen’s 2,973 career 3-pointers in only 789 games played. That is 511 games played than Ray Allen. That statistic truly shows how efficient and deadly Curry’s 3-point scoring is.
Currently, Steph has four of the top five single-season 3-point makes, but also is the only player in NBA history to hit more than 400 threes in a single season 402 in 2015-16, his Unanimous MVP season).
In the You Tube talk show First Things First, Nick Wright argued that Curry is the greatest shooter of all time.
https://youtu.be/OGhsCqO54fo
Said Wright: “Steph now has made more threes, than KD and Kyrie combined, while shooting fewer threes in his career than James Harden has. Steph is right around 3,000 now (made 3-point shots), he’ll finish his career, lets assume right around 5000, so what would it take to break it? Alright ,well its simple, how about 300 threes a season for 17 years.” Wright continues his compelling oratory about Curry: “The full list of human beings alive who have ever hit 300 threes in a season, Steph Curry four times and James Harden once, that’s your list” (Wright).
People have overlooked and underestimated the greatness of Stephen Curry on the court. But his impact off the court has also been nothing but greatness too. Steph is partnered with Under Armour as its signature athlete. Over the years Steph has donated to many charities and gave back to communities in need. In 2019 Steph and his wife Ayesha Curry partnered up with Chase, Under Armour and their own Eat. Learn. Play.
Foundation to “refurbish a basketball court at Concordia Park in East Oakland. The space was in need of some attention in order for students from local schools and programs to have a safe and suitable area to play,” according to UA Newsroom. While working his magic on the court, Curry never fails to do magic off the court. Steph listens to his fans and has found opportunity to help those in need.
Stephen Curry’s impact on the game of basketball has been immense; his accolades as a player, championship wins, press conferences, and voice has been an inspiration to many on and off the court. His influence on the game of basketball will always be a part of history. It is truly amazing to witness greatness and be a part of this era in basketball.
Steph still has a lot left in the tank. Who knows how many 3-pointers he will make? All we know now is Curry is 2,974 and counting.
Kirby Inot can be reached at KIRBY.INOT27@myhunter.cuny.edu