Stephen Curry has been at the receiving end of many former stars and analysts claiming he ‘does not have the clutch gene’. Over the years, Curry has proved them wrong with one clutch performance after another, including at the biggest stages of the game.
Former NBA player Gilbert Arenas recently revealed why many have ‘falsely believed’ in the narrative around the Warriors star not being clutch. On a recent episode of the ‘Gils Arena’ podcast, he discussed the narrative around the basketball community of Stephen Curry faltering in clutch situations.
Arenas provided his theory behind the reason for Curry’s unsavory reputation down the stretch of games, even though the Warriors star has proven himself time and time again.
I think what happened with Steph early in his career, when he was becoming a winner, winning championships, the team was so good, he was so good, that they didn’t play in crunch time… When you’re talking about the Kobe, the Jordan, hitting game-winner type of dude, he wasn’t even put in those positions because he never had to.
Gilbert Arenas said
“Big moments [Steph] can really do it. He’s a very disrespectful player.”
Gil on Steph Curry not getting enough credit for his clutch gene. pic.twitter.com/o93xdax964
— Gilbert Arenas (@GilsArenaShow) November 17, 2024
Arenas suggested that the Warriors’ dynastic run in their championship years hid Stephen Curry’s brilliance in the clutch. Because the team was so good in their early years, they would often be up by multiple points towards the end of games, causing Curry to sit out many fourth quarters.
This can easily be seen in the minutes Curry has averaged over the last decade. Even though he has been a premier star in the league, he has averaged just under 34 minutes per game over the last decade. In fact, the 36-year-old has averaged just 6.2 minutes played in fourth quarters during that time due to the Dubs often winning games by big margins.
Stephen Curry reveals his latest All-Time NBA starting five
Stephen Curry made a surprise appearance in a YouTube video with Dude Perfect. He joined the original trickshot group to try his own hand at some of their trickshot shenanigans. However, things got spicy when Dude Perfect’s Tyler Toney asked Curry about his All-Time NBA starting five.
Even though Curry generally resorts to diplomatic answers in situations like these, he did not hesitate while revealing his own All-Time starting five. He went for the big guns in his answer, naming Shaquille O’Neal at the Center position and Tim Duncan as the power forwards, LeBron James at the 3, with Michael Jordan and himself rounding out the guard spots on the roster.
Steph Curry names his all-time starting 5 👀
⭐️ Himself
⭐️ Michael Jordan
⭐️ LeBron James
⭐️ Tim Duncan
⭐️ ShaqThoughts? 🤔
(via @DudePerfect)pic.twitter.com/0YNKR5w7aM
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 16, 2024
Curry named a strong starting five, although the list did have some glaring exceptions. He left NBA legends like Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson, and his former teammate, Kevin Durant, off the list. But to each their own, as Curry’s starting five certainly isn’t anything short of phenomenal.
