Stephen Curry may never have become the superstar that he is today if it weren’t for one coach.
After all, when Stephen Curry entered the league during the 2009-10 season, he barely looked like an NBA player due to his small frame.
However, Curry has led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA Championships as a 6’2″ point guard, thanks to his insane three-point shooting ability.
While Curry’s impact on the modern era is clearly visible, the Baby-Faced Assassin was almost forced to abandon his unique playing style before his NCAA career by his mother, Sonya Curry.
Photo by David T. Foster III/Charlotte Observer/Tribune News Service via Getty ImagesDavidson Wildcats head coach Bob McKillop showed ‘belief’ in Steph Curry
Before the start of Curry’s freshman year in 2006, the future basketball Hall of Famer’s parents evidently met the head coach of the Davidson Wildcats.
At the time, Bob McKillop was the head coach of the program. Steph recently revealed that his mother promised coach McKillop about adding more weight before the start of his collegiate career.
However, McKillop denied such requirements, making Curry believe in his skills.
“I truly am thankful that he had that kind of perspective on me when I was getting recruited,” Curry said during a basketball camp at Arrillaga Family Gym.
“And my favorite line he said was, my mom was like, ‘We’ll put some weight on him before I showed up to campus,’ and he was like, ‘No, we’ll take him just the way he is,’ which is a reflection of his belief in me,’ Steph added.
Well, Curry paid off McKillop’s trust by averaging 21.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game for the Wildcats during his freshman year.
Bob McKillop was ‘greatest’ at instilling confidence in Steph Curry
While Curry has enjoyed major success under head coach Steve Kerr during his NBA career, the 2x NBA MVP still believes coach McKillop was the greatest at realizing his true potential.
“And the confidence to go through the ups and downs of college and the transition, go from there. So, you have to have people that kind of see your potential and instill that in you over time.
“And he was definitely the greatest at doing that for me,” Curry said of McKillop’s impact on him.
To be fair, if coach McKillop had forced Curry to add more weight and muscle, he may have lost the agility that makes him such a dangerous threat on the court.
Fortunately, that didn’t happen, and fans saw unarguably the greatest shooter of all time in action at all his might in the NBA.