The Untold Story Between Steph Curry & Chris Paul

When the two names of Steph Curry and Chris Paul are put together in one sentence, the first thing I automatically think of is that nasty crossover when the chef cooked the Point God's ankles and served it up to him medium rare. I next think of that time where CP3 shot a crazy three ball over Curry, then shimmied on him as they ran down the court. Hate. Love. Jealousy. Greatness. Depending on the time and place, a lot of different words can be used to describe the relationship between these two. But if there's one thing they both share, it's their passion for the game of basketball, and it's that same passion that has driven them to fiercely compete against one another on some of the biggest stages in the NBA, and now it's that same passion that has brought them together as teammates, with the common goal of capturing that illustrious Larry O'Brien trophy. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the untold story of Steph, the Chef Curry, and Chris, the Point God Paul. As of today, as we all know, Steph Curry has an impressive collection of four rings, whereas Chris Paul unfortunately remains ringless. Then when it comes to the most prestigious accolades like the MVP or Finals MVP trophies, Steph clearly has the Point God beat. It's not even a debate anymore when it comes to who's the better player, or who's had the better career. In saying this, however, did you all know that at one point in time their positions were actually reversed? Yeah. You see, before Steph Curry was ever drafted with the Warriors' number 7 pick back in 2009, he was just a skinny sharpshooter from Davidson looking to improve his craft. And uh, just check out this video here. So here's LeBron James, and here's Chris Paul. This was at LeBron James' skills camp, which took place just before the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and I'm gonna freeze the tape right here. See anyone familiar? On the left side here is actually Wardell Stephen Curry, about a year before he was ever drafted into the NBA. At this time, he was attending the camp to get first-hand training from the best of the best. I mean, this video was recorded during the offseason of 2008, at a time when both LeBron and CP3 were selected to the prestigious All-NBA First Team. Little did CP3 know at this time that he was training one of the greatest adversaries he'd ever face. Nevertheless, at this stage of their careers, Steph Curry posed no threat to him, and the two of them shared a great camaraderie. In fact, Steph was once asked by a reporter about how much of an impact Paul had on his playing career, and here's what the two-time MVP had to say regarding that. He was a great mentor when it came to understanding how a guy on his level prepared over the summer for an NBA season, how disciplined he was, his kind of work ethic, and I got to see that firsthand after summer league through the beginning of the season, and obviously got a Carolina connection, but he kind of just, I guess, demonstrated firsthand what it takes to be great in this league, and it was a nice little eye-opener for me that summer, work out with him, compete against him, and take that confidence I had into my rookie year. The relationship they had also extended off the basketball courts, as Steph would tag along with Chris and his family during vacations to Disney World, for example. Then when it came to each other's weddings, they were there supporting each other as well. But then, it slowly started happening. Year by year, Steph Curry just got better and better. Starting from his rookie year, back in 2010, he slowly went from being just a skinny, sharp-shooting kid with bad ankles to a full-on assassin by 2014, averaging 24 points and nearly nine assists on insane shooting efficiencies. And if there was ever a single game which put him on the map, it'd be that New York game where he became the first player to score at least 50 points while making 10 plus threes. All this success he was having was amazing for his own career, but other superstars around the league didn't like it. The author of The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry went on air and name-dropped people who now had a disdain for Curry, and among them was Chris Paul. Specifically, he said this. Moving forward, during the 2014 playoffs, where Steph Curry and the Warriors faced off against CP3 and the Clippers, there was one notable play which Curry still remembers to this day. It was a two-point game in Game 3 of the first round. Curry caught the inbounds pass, pulled a move on Paul to try and get a bit of airspace, then threw up an airball. A closer look at the play, however, clearly showed that Paul fouled him with his left hand by pushing Curry's body a bit and ultimately throwing him off balance. Steph protested that foul, of course, but to no avail. He didn't forget this, though, and I'll get to that part in a little bit. But anyway, that series was the last time Chris Paul really got the best of Curry, because as we all know, since then, Curry's gone on to win four championships, cementing himself as the greatest point guard of all time, while Chris Paul's still chasing his first ring. In fact, not only is CP3 still ringless, but Curry and the Warriors were a huge obstacle to Chris Paul's championship aspirations, preventing him from advancing in the playoffs for two straight years during his time in Houston. Despite these events, it's important to note that their relationship did not deteriorate completely into toxicity. I mean, that interview earlier where Steph was talking about the impact CP3 had on his career happened after he had already won a few championships. And then to add to that, Chris Paul also had this to say of Steph around that time as well. So, it's clear that there wasn't any hate or animosity as they both held mutual respect for each other, but Draymond, on the other hand, could sense some underlying dynamics going on. In fact, the heart and soul of the Warriors was closely observing the situation and shared his thoughts on the matter concerning Steph and CP3. It's important to note that this was said a few years ago, and as we all know from his relationship with LeBron, what could look like hatred one day could blossom into a full-on partnership the next day. Anyway, in 2023, there was one specific game where the Warriors matched up against the Suns, and after Curry got through Paul's defense and scored an and-one basket, he shouted, this ain't 2014 no more. Funny enough, a reporter did ask Chris Paul about this, and here was his response. When Curry was asked about what he said and why he said it, he didn't actually give a clear answer, but if I had to guess, I'm thinking that play I showed earlier had a lot to do with it. Anyway, it's worth noting that all the supposed drama and conflicts happened at a time when these two were considerably younger and still finding their footing in the league. They've both matured since then, and I'd wager that even Draymond will soon come out with an updated video saying how he loves CP3 now. I mean, Klay Thompson recently said of Paul, anytime you get to play with a player who is one of the best of your generation, it's an honor. While Steph himself must have given the okay to the front office when it came to acquiring Paul, otherwise the Warriors likely wouldn't have made that move. Anyway, the bond that Steph Curry and Chris Paul forged early in their careers will always remain special, and while it may have appeared that they have harbored animosity towards each other on the court during their intense battles, it's evident that off the court, it's nothing but love. Which is evident from both their families appearing on an episode of Family Feud together and also when they Zoomed each other during the pandemic.