Stephen Curry, if you remember, was no sure thing.
Six teams passed on him in the draft.
There were questions about his size. About his playmaking ability. About his ankles.
Warriors coach Don Nelson (left) was instrumental in bringing Stephen Curry to Golden State. MediaNews Group via Getty Images
But he had one big, boisterous, influential fan: Don Nelson.
“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson,” Curry said in a statement Sunday, remembering the life of the larger-than-life coach shortly after Nelson’s family announced his peaceful passing at the age of 86.
Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, spent only 11 of his 31 seasons with the Warriors but oversaw the two most memorable eras of basketball in the Bay Area before Curry’s arrival in the “Run TMC” and “We Believe” teams. Then, he spent retirement growing pot in Maui with Willie Nelson.
He was an iconoclast. Somebody Steve Kerr described as a “true innovator” for the fast-paced, small-ball style that was unorthodox at the time but now is commonplace.
But “Nellie ball” wasn’t the only way Nelson shaped the modern-day NBA.
He helped lay the foundation of the Warriors’ dynasty.
Before Kerr, before four championships and a glistening new arena, there was Curry.
And before Curry, there was a long-forsaken franchise with a fledgling ownership group and an aging coach about to be nudged into retirement that possessed the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft.
Curry was considered such a longshot that he refused to set up a workout or take a meeting with Golden State’s front office. After all, the Warriors already had a star point guard, Monta Ellis. Curry has since said that he was all but certain he would be taken by the Knicks at No. 8.
Nelson, who died Sunday at age 86, helped lay the foundation for the Warriors’ dynasty. AP Photo/Kyle Phillips
Despite his soon-to-be-lame-duck status, Nelson was a figure of stability in a draft room that featured first-year general manager Larry Riley. It wouldn’t have been very much like him to do the conventional thing or to not have his voice be heard.
He urged the Warriors to take Curry with the No. 7 pick.
The rest, as they say, is history.
“The story is he never liked rookies,” Curry continued in the statement, “but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him.
“He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”
Curry would only go on to play one season for Nelson, and it would take another coaching change to unlock his full potential alongside Draymond Green and Klay Thompson under Kerr.
But ever since Nelson witnessed Curry in-person in the 2009 NIT at Saint Mary’s College, he knew he had something special on his hands.
“I was marveling at his skill from shooting and passing and ball handling,” the Hall of Fame coach recalled to ESPN.com in a 2021 interview. “I just thought he was a star. I never dreamed we were going to be able to get him.”
Curry caught Nelson’s attention during the 2009 NIT at Saint Mary’s College. Getty Images
Even before Curry had sunk a single NBA 3-pointer, Nelson took an interest in the shot that would go on to set a record with 4,248 and counting. The sharpshooter recalled a story from his rookie season on the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash.
“They were trying to get me in the weight room doing all these lifts and stuff. I’m shooting like trash in training camp, the first week, and [Nelson] walked in there and cussed out everybody in the room,” Curry said. “Like, ‘Y’all killing his shot! He’s lifting too much weight!’ I didn’t even know that was a concept. I just wanted to get stronger.”
In case there was any concern about revisionist history, Nelson went on the record about his view on Curry in a little-seen interview during a summer league game shortly after he was drafted.
“Well, I’m a big fan of his,” Nelson said. “I think he’s going to be a terrific player. He’s just starting.”
When Nelson retired, he was the NBA’s all-time leader in wins (only since surpassed by Gregg Popovich). And when Curry hangs them up, he will be considered the greatest shooter of all time.
Who knows how it all would have played out had Nelson not made speaking up for Curry one of the final acts in his legendary coaching career.
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