Having your own team in the NBA is a badge of honor only a few players can genuinely attest to. Michael Jordan is one, while the late, great Kobe Bryant is another; players who carried the weight of an entire franchise on their shoulders. Another guy who belongs on this prestigious list is Stephen Curry.
The Golden State Warriors‘ superstar has been synonymous with the Bay Area for the last 16 seasons. However, back in the summer of 2016, the Warriors’ general manager Bob Myers came to him with an audacious idea that would threaten his standing as the team’s top draw: sign Kevin Durant.
A game-changing opportunity
The summer of 2016 was a mixed bag for the Warriors. On the one hand, they had to endure ridicule and heartbreak after losing a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals and failing to cap off a historic 73-9 regular season with a championship. On the other hand, the crushing defeat opened Durant’s eyes to the possibility of heading to the Bay Area to join the stacked Warriors.
Myers, who is well-versed in how the minds of NBA superstars work due to his previous experience as an agent, said other players may have balked at the idea of having the 2014 league MVP join the team. After all, it meant ceding some of the spotlight and potentially sacrificing individual stats.
However, Myers shared that he didn’t see or hear Curry complain about Durant’s arrival. In fact, he believes he never even considered it as a problem because he was solely focused on winning another championship.
“I always use the example: when the possibility of Kevin Durant came up in 2016,” Myers shared. “That’s the equivalent of Bono hearing that John Lennon wants to join U2. You’re like, ‘Yeah, man, that doesn’t happen.'”
For Myers and the franchise, it was the opportunity of a lifetime to add one of the best players in the league to an already talented roster. However, before he could initiate negotiations, he had to run the idea by Curry first. Although he had an inkling that his superstar would have no problem with it, he had to make sure, knowing that everyone in the NBA — from reserves to superstars — has an ego.
“This was after we lost in the Finals. And if he had done this — ‘Yeah, man, I mean, if you think you’re the GM, if that’s what you want’ — that’s a no,” Myers remarked. “Or if he had gone, ‘Um, yeah, I don’t know, maybe.’ That’s a no, too.”
“The only yes is this: ‘Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Can we do that? Should I call him?’ That’s the only yes,” he continued. “And that’s exactly what he said.”
Focused on winning more championships
The definition of winning these days can get very subjective. For some, it’s about how much they’re earning and the number of endorsement deals they have secured. However, Myers divulged that when it came to Curry, the bottom line was winning more championships; anything else was just secondary.
“You mentioned a Curry — a guy that could act any way he wanted to act and get away with it. Steph Curry could be the biggest jerk in the world. He could say to everybody, ‘I’m not getting enough shots. I’m the best shooter in the world.’ He, by the way, never did and never would do that,” Myers shared.
“So, when you have people like that in the organization who say, ‘All we care about is winning, period,’ you give yourself the best shot to win. It doesn’t mean you’re going to win, but you give yourself the best chance,” he added.
Curry could have made a big fuss about having to share the spotlight with Durant. He never did. In fact, he willingly took a backseat, giving the talented scorer enough space to shine, and as a result, the Warriors won two more NBA titles in the 2010s, establishing themselves as a dynasty.