The way that Steph Curry The answer to the question says everything about who he is as a basketball player and as a person.

Never confuse Curry’s smile and childish joy with a lack of competitiveness. The Warriors star will take an opponent’s heart straight from their chest and throw it into a carrying bag, angry Lloyd Christmas style, if they dare do so. Curry also calls for greatness.

He welcomes it and feeds on it as well.

That’s been the case for the past decade in which he’s shared the court alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The same goes for his three seasons as Kevin Durant’s teammate, and the special bond that has grown between him and Andre Iguodala over eight seasons.

So it was no surprise that when asked which players in NBA history Curry would most like to be on the same court with, he picked three and decided they would be teammates, not enemies.

“Top three for me, obviously. [Michael] Jordan, [Shaquille O’Neal] “And I would probably say Hakeem Olajuwon,” Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area on a recent episode of “Dubs Talk.”

“I would love to play with those three guys, because I think with Jordan, we all want to see him up close and personal. And then I think playing with me and Hakeem or me and Shaq would be practically unstoppable.

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Starting in order, Curry’s first choice is the one everyone wants to see. Whether at home or away, the stadiums will be filled with Curry’s No. 30 jerseys and No. 23 Jordan jerseys.

Everyone wanted to be like Mike in the 80s and 90s, flying through the air with his tongue hanging out and waiting for something special to happen.

Now Curry is influencing fans of all sizes, colors, ages and genders. He’s the star the Warriors, and the NBA as a whole, can count on to represent the game.

There’s no real simulation of how Curry can change a basketball behind the 3-point line, but the dream of doing so at least seems more achievable at a local park than taking off from the free-throw line for a dunk like Jordan.

Moreover, Curry’s greatest strength is what was missing from Jordan’s repertoire, even though, of course, the game was very different during his 15 seasons in the NBA. Jordan shot 32.7 percent from 3-point range for his career.

The lowest Curry has shot from deep for a full season in his career is 38.0 percent in his age-33 season, making the two a perfect balance between them on defense.

Dalton Johnson
NBC Sports Bay Area