Stephen Wardell Curry, or “Chef Curry”, has been a household name associated with the NBA and the Golden State Warriors for well over a decade now.
The Warriors superstar has been widely credited with redefining the way basketball is played with his prowess as a three-point shooter, elevating an analytical trend to mainstream strategy.
Curry is one of the most recognisable and iconic players of his generation and has proven to be an inspiration for many after his exploits in the NBA against all odds.
The 6’3 point guard came through an unheralded collegiate program and was almost written off for having weak ankles before he overcame all the noise and established himself as the NBA’s premier sniper.
Here, we take a look at the top ten moments from Curry’s career, packed with highlight reel plays, and pinpoint the moments that cemented his legacy as one of the legends of the modern game.
#10. Breaking the single-season three-point record, 2013
After an injury-riddled 2011-12 season, Curry went into the 2012-13 season without much expectation or pressure surrounding his performances and ended the season making NBA history.
Ray Allen’s record of 269 threes made in 2005-06 was the highest mark any NBA player had ever scaled in terms of number of three-point shots made in a single season before Curry erupted onto the scene.
The Warriors star made 272 threes in the 2012-13 season and caught the eye of the league with his three-point shooting ability, marking his official breakout.
This, however, would just be the tip of the iceberg. Curry went on to break his own record on multiple occasions and holds eight of the top 15 spots in the list of most prolific three-point shooting seasons.
Top 15 single-season stats for three-point field goals made:
| Rank | Player | Season | Three-pointers made |
| 1 | Stephen Curry | 402 | 2015-16 |
| 2 | James Harden | 378 | 2018-19 |
| 3 | Stephen Curry | 357 | 2023-24 |
| 4 | Stephen Curry | 354 | 2018-19 |
| 5 | Stephen Curry | 337 | 2020-21 |
| 6 | Stephen Curry | 324 | 2016-17 |
| 7 | Anthony Edwards | 320 | 2024-25 |
| 8 | Malik Beasley | 319 | 2024-25 |
| 9 | Stephen Curry | 311 | 2024-25 |
| 10 | Klay Thompson | 301 | 2022-23 |
| 11 | James Harden | 299 | 2019-20 |
| 12 | Paul George | 292 | 2018-19 |
| 13 | Buddy Hield | 288 | 2022-23 |
| 14 | Stephen Curry | 286 | 2014-15 |
| 15 | Stephen Curry | 285 | 2021-22 |
In the 2015-16 season alone, the long-range wizard made 402 three-pointers, which still remains the greatest single-season three-point shooting record by an NBA player.
#9. Scoring 54 points at Madison Square Garden, 2013
Madison Square Garden is widely known as the “Mecca of Basketball”.
For any visiting player, games against the New York Knicks represent a chance to put on a show at the most prestigious arena in basketball.
Curry, who was very close to being drafted by the Knicks, delivered a performance for the ages at the MSG in 2013, dropping 54 points at the Garden, albeit in a loss.
This performance, which included a then-franchise-record 11 three-point shots made, was an early indicator of Curry’s incredible ceiling and will always be remembered as one of his greatest individual scoring performances.
The “baby-faced assassin” has gone on to score 50 or more in multiple games over his career, but this was his first time doing so and remains one of the greatest individual performances at the MSG.
#8. Breaking Davidson’s all-time scoring record, 2009
Curry, despite being the son of a former NBA player in Dell Curry, was not a highly recruited or heralded blue-blooded prospect heading into college, unlike most NBA superstars.
The Warriors superstar eventually went to lowly Davidson, and it was here that the world first got to see the little magician in action.
At Davidson, Curry went on to become a national phenomenon after leading them to a surprise Elite Eight run at the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
The point guard stayed for three seasons at Davidson and on February 28, 2009, became the program’s all-time top scorer after scoring 34 points against Georgia Southern.
Curry had repaid the program’s faith in him and proved that he could cut it with the best of the collegiate crowd with his brilliant three-year run at Davidson, propelling his draft stock ahead of 2009 in the process.
#7. “It’s a great shot, because it is Steph Curry”, 2015
By 2015, Stephen Curry had become one of the, if not the best, players in the league.
No play sums up Curry at the peak of his powers better than his iconic shot against the Los Angeles Clippers from 2015.
The Warriors’ superstar picks up the ball in a tight space and proceeds to dribble rings around three Clippers’ players, including Chris Paul, before hoisting up a fadeaway three in a breathtaking fashion.
As his coach, Steve Kerr, described it, “It’s a great shot, because it is Steph Curry.” Any other player would have likely been subbed off immediately for even attempting something so audacious.
But when it is Curry doing it, it makes no difference how he does it; the ball just seems to go in every single time. He is inevitable.
#6. Mike Breen’s iconic double bang, 2016
Mike Breen and his legendary game calls have been a feature of the NBA for decades.
His “double bang” for Curry, however, may just be remembered as the most iconic of all his calls and the most iconic play by the Golden State Warriors superstar.
In a game against one of their fiercest rivals in the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors’ talisman had caught absolute fire, draining 11 threes.
However, the Thunder still rallied, and with mere seconds remaining, the game was calling for something special to determine a winner. Curry answered the call at precisely this moment.
The point guard made a long three, his 12th of the night, to tie the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a game, and win the game. It was this dumbfounding play that prompted Breen to deliver his most iconic “double bang” call with just 0.6 seconds left in the game.
#5. Becoming the Warriors’ all-time top scorer, 2021
The Golden State Warriors are among the NBA’s most successful franchises of all time.
Over the course of history, the Warriors have also rostered some of the NBA’s greatest players of all time, including Wilt Chamberlain, who held their franchise scoring record for decades.
When Curry was drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NBA draft, no one anticipated a career trajectory where the guard would dethrone the “Big Dipper” as Golden State’s all-time top scorer.
But in 2021, with a lay-up against the Denver Nuggets, Curry did exactly that, with the two-point shot taking him to 17,784 career points with the Warriors, enough for top spot in franchise history.
The point guard is now the undisputed GOAT of the Golden State Warriors, and this moment where he broke the franchise scoring record will be one etched in his memory forever.
#4. Gold medal game at the Paris Olympics, 2024
For all the silverware he had accrued in his career, Curry was missing one item – an Olympic gold medal.
Owing to various reasons, Curry had never been able to play for the United States of America in the Olympic Games until 2024. And when the opportunity presented itself, he did not pass up on it.
Despite being a veteran, Curry took on a crucial role in a star-studded team and exploded in the finals against France to drive his team to victory.
The Warriors’ star made four consecutive three-pointers in clutch time, with each shot seemingly more difficult than the one preceding it.
An iconic contested three with LeBron James and Kevin Durant open to his side will go as the highlight of Curry’s short but incredible Olympic career with the national team.
#3. First Finals MVP win, 2022
Curry had led the Warriors to three championships, heading into the 2021-22 NBA season.
His critics, however, never gave his playoff performances the credit they deserved, as on all three occasions, Curry had failed to win the Finals MVP honour.
The Warriors’ star ended any such conversation with a stellar run in 2021-22, leading the Warriors to an unlikely triumph, averaging 31.2 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals a game in the NBA Finals.
Curry took home Finals MVP and gave us the iconic “night night” celebration as he crushed the Boston Celtics’ hearts en route to his fourth NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors.
The Warriors are unlikely to return to the pinnacle of the NBA in their Curry era, and this could just be the point guard’s lasting legacy at the league’s greatest stage.
#2. First-ever unanimous MVP season, 2016
In the 2015-16 NBA season, the basketball world saw the greatest version of one of its best players ever as Steph Curry went supernova.
Curry was the reigning league MVP heading into the season, and naturally, was expected to have a good season, but what followed was truly sensational and exceeded all expectations.
The Golden State star scored 30.1 points a game, while joining the 50-40-90 club for efficiency, and led his team to a 73-9 record, the best regular season any team has ever had.
The guard led the league in scoring average, free throw percentage, and steals per game during this historic individual season.
As a result, Curry took home all first-place votes in the MVP race. This was the first time in league history that a player had managed to do so, an incredible achievement to cap off an unprecedented season.
#1. Breaking the NBA’s all-time three-point record, 2021
As Curry kept breaking records, he had earned the moniker of being the “greatest shooter of all time,” and his unprecedented volume and efficiency had him firmly atop any such list in NBA discussions.
However, it wasn’t until 2021 that he statistically overtook Ray Allen to officially hold the tag without any doubt.
At Madison Square Garden on December 14, 2021, Curry drained the 2974th three-pointer of his career, in the presence of Ray Allen, who gracefully passed on the torch he had held for a long time.
The celebrations that followed were emotional and underlined all the effort and sacrifice the Warriors’ star had made to achieve everything he had.
The undersized guard from Davidson who was struggling to live up to his father’s legacy had just become the NBA’s greatest shooter of all time, bar none, and fortified his case to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.