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Author Marcus Thompson characterizes the feelings of certain NBA superstars toward Steph Curry as “disdain.” But the rest of us know this emotion as “jealousy.” Curry’s longball threes, angelic smile, winning ways, and fan admiration have made him a target for some NBA players who feel they’ve had to work harder than Steph to gain love and appreciation. Thompson puts LeBron James, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook on the list of those who harbor some “disdain” for Curry.
The theory is both understandable and also a little suspect, since those three players engender a lot of admiration from hoops fans everywhere. It has echoes in the old story about Isiah Thomas freezing upstart Michael Jordan out of the All-Star game — Thomas was at the pinnacle, but that didn’t stop ill feeling about Jordan’s popularity and rise. Like Jordan, Curry has the wins to back up his position. He’s not just a fan favorite with the best-selling NBA jersey two years running (though he is that), he’s the leader of the record-smashing Golden State Warriors, winners of more games in a regular season than any team in NBA history. So when Curry smiles that smile and shoots that 38-footer, it gnaws a little. Even, allegedly, at guys like the inimitable Russell Westbrook — though Russ does seem awfully busy doing his own thing.
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