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Stephen Curry reflects on how the NBA game has changed after a debate with his dad
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- Stephen Curry reflects on how the NBA game has changed after a debate with his dad
(© Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images)
Stephen Curry will go down in basketball history as one of the best to ever lace them up, not only because of his four championships, but more so for the way he has changed the game, with an emphasis on long-range shooting. It is a fact that he fully embraces and is happy and proud to have had a hand in.
Introduced to the league at a very young age, being the son of an NBA player, Steph is a true student of the game, which he tapped into as he navigated his way to a highly successful professional career, bringing the three-point shot to the forefront as a primary offensive tool.
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Such a shift has forced a drastic change in offensive and defensive strategies, far from how things were when he first started playing the game, when the three-point shot was not yet a high priority for teams.
"Chef Curry" recalled a conversation he had with his dad, Dell, a 16-year NBA veteran known for his sweet shooting, and came to a realization of the kind of impact he has had on the game.
"He [Dell] told a story about a game-winning shot that he had in Madison Square Garden," Steph said . The way he described the play, he's like somebody double-teamed the post and kicked it out to him on the strong side corner, and I'm like, 'That hasn't happened in like 12 years in the NBA'… So it wasn't just about the game-winning shot but how it happened."
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He went on to say that it was in great contrast to how things are being done nowadays, where the three-point shot is viewed as a big equalizer for many teams and where players like him have flourished.
"Not everybody is fanning out to the three-point line, and rather you try to shoot a shot in the paint for the game-winner instead. So the game has changed drastically; obviously, I've had a lot to do with that," he shared.
Changing the game
In the 1994 season, the Houston Rockets became the first NBA team to make 400 three-pointers in a season. Twenty-two years later, in 2016, Curry had 402 by himself.
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Back in the 90s, the strategy was to run the offense through big men, such as Shaquille O'Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing, down the low block and take higher percentage shots. Over time, it evolved into a more free-flowing setup. With players like Steph making the three-pointer a serious threat, defenses were stretched across a larger area, significantly impacting the game's spacing. Nowadays, the paint is not too crowded, and there is better ball movement.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is one of those who love how the game has transformed .
"I love how the game has changed. It's really the ultimate challenge to play, it's the ultimate challenge to defend in it and it's just super compelling as we have seen in the last two years, no lead is too large, no deficit is too big. The three-point shot and the speed of the game has put a great deal of excitement," the coach said in an interview with "The Fan Morning Show" radio program.
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Leaving the game a better one
Seeing how his style of play has left an imprint on basketball, 37-year-old Steph could not be prouder, as it is in line with how he sees himself exiting the game if and when he finally decides to call it a career.
"I was told by a wise man when I was getting into the league, you want to leave the league in a better place than when you found it. I think just the way that you see the skill-level right now, the way that the range has kind of taken over, guys shooting threes all over the court, but just from one through five all the way down the roster, I think this is the most skilled era of basketball history," Curry told "Today" in an interview.
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The history of the NBA is rich with players who reached legendary status for the way they impacted the game. Steph is surely one of them, a true generational player.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 17, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
