Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, left, passed Lakers legend Jerry West for 25th on the NBA all-time scoring list. (Associated Press; Getty Images)
The focus rightly was on the immediate.
Stephen Curry scored 52 points Tuesday in a 134-125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies that vaulted the surging Golden State Warriors into fifth place in the Western Conference standings. He made 12 three-point shots, two shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s single-game NBA record.
Curry’s performance was so otherworldly that Gilbert Arenas stopped watching his son, USC commit Alijah, play in the McDonald’s All-American Game to follow the scoring barrage from the 37-year-old 10-time All-Star guard.
Yet given a moment to reflect, Curry became emotional because along the way he passed the late Jerry West for 25th on the NBA career scoring list. West, of course, played his entire 14-year career with the Lakers and is best known globally for being the inspiration behind the NBA logo.
Read more: How Jerry West became the NBA logo — and why David Stern never admitted to it
But he also served as a Warriors’ special consultant from 2011-2017, during which time Curry led the team to two NBA championships. West’s son, Jonnie, is the Warriors senior director of pro personnel.
“That’s special, obviously in our memory and what he meant to the league, to the world of basketball, to our organization when he worked here,” Curry said of West, who died in June. “And my relationship with Jonnie. I got to talk to him after the game, just to share a moment of what it meant for me, my family, the entire West family.
“So that is special. Just understanding what his career was, that’s The Logo, so very special. I’ll keep that ball and put it in a good place.”
Cracking the top 25 in career scoring — Curry has 25,205 points — is a feat Curry cherished because he eclipsed West. Otherwise, it’s just another rung in a ladder he’ll continue climbing at warp speed.
In his 16th season, Curry’s play has diminished only a tick. After the 52-point, 10-rebound, eight-assist and six-steal performance, he’s averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds a game this season.
Read more: Jerry West, Lakers legend and architect of ‘Showtime’ era, dies at 86
Career averages? 24.7 points, 6.4 assists and 4.7 rebounds.
Projecting that he’ll produce close to those numbers for three more seasons — when he turns 40 — Curry would approach 30,000 points, a number attained by only eight players: From the top, LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Karl Malone, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Dirk Nowitzki, Wilt Chamberlain and Kevin Durant.
The Clippers’ James Harden, currently 11th with 27,527 points, likely will beat Curry to 30,000, and DeMar DeRozan is on Curry’s heels at 25,159.
Curry, though, was reminded in the fourth quarter Tuesday not to chase records when he missed consecutive three-point attempts with Thompson’s mark on his mind. He tapped his chest and apologized to teammates after the second errant shot.
“The first two shots I took in the fourth quarter were a reflection of that,” Curry said. “First touch, shot it in transition. Then went iso left wing. Missed both of those and then I kinda came to reality. Those were the ultimate heat checks even though I just got back in the game.”
Read more: LeBron James is first NBA player to score 50,000 points. What’s next? Luka Doncic says ’70K’
Warriors coach Steve Kerr excused his star guard for the momentary lapse.
“The guy is 37 years old,” he said. “Incredible. Fifty-two points with people draped all over him all game long. The conditioning. The skill. The audacity. The belief. It’s just incredible to watch Steph at work.”
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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