Like Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry is a golf enthusiast. But unlike “His Airness”, the leader of Golden State does not make it another place of competitiveness, but above all a refuge in the NBA marathon.
“I immersed myself in golf mainly for competition” thus explained Michael Jordan. “It’s the hardest sport. In basketball, I can always find the answer against an opponent, be it a forward or a defender. But in golf, it’s like playing in front of a mirror, like constantly challenging yourself to find perfection with every swing, every putt. For a competitor like me, this balance kept me from going crazy. But to work on my patience, I went fishing. »
A place of “refuge”
In a fascinating article, ESPN details as follows how Stephen Curry seeks precisely this sporting “internalization”, in a place sheltered from the tumult, especially after complicated matches.
“This is my place of refuge”confirms the leader of the Warriors. “The one I can always count on”.
It was his father, Dell, who introduced him to golf when he was 8 or 9 years old. Since then, he has become an excellent player, with a handicap of 0 on most courses, and he forms with Andre Iguodala or manager Jonnie West (son of Jerry West, married to… golfer Michelle Wie) a small group of avid golfers.
“Everywhere we go, everyone wants some time with Steph”explains Steve Kerr, who also got to know his leader on the greens. “He is so affable. So nice. He signs millions of autographs and talks to everyone who approaches him. It never stops. That’s why it’s important that he can take four hours to get away from it all, get some sun and play a game he loves.”
Bob Myers confirms that golf courses are one of the few places where Stephen Curry can really ” be free “.
“It’s his refuge” confirms Bruce Fraser, Steve Kerr’s assistant. “It’s the only place he can go to clear his mind. It is a place that regenerates one’s spirit and soul”.
What the main interested party validates.
“It allows you to get away from the game, to go out, to recover vitamin D. There is fresh air. We are surrounded by good people. We are not very far from the competitive aspect of basketball. But with golf, it’s more internal. It allows me to have a different energy without having to look for it on the (basketball) court. »
Different concentration and visualization
Stephen Curry also appreciates the visualization engendered by the practice of golf.
“It’s the same as basketball. No matter how you move: after the rebound, after the dribble, left, right, inside the 3-point line or behind, you have to visualize the shot before taking it. he explains thus. “It’s a kind of feeling that you always have to have on the course, so on the golf course, that’s also how I approach the game.”
The practice of golf, if it has always existed among NBA basketball players, seems to have spread in recent years, JR Smith having even started a retraining. In the “bubble” of Orlando, many have immersed themselves in it, and not only because there was not much else to do, while many shooters explain that it is a way perfect to clear your mind, especially after bad performances.
“When my shooting was going off the rails, instead of doing big sessions the next day, I was hitting a bucket of balls (on a golf course) and it seemed to recalibrate certain things in my brain”says Kyle Korver. “I was amazed at how often this happened. »
Among the Warriors, we joke about the fact that there is “clearly a correlation between (Strephen Curry’s) golf games and his performance on the course”. It remains to be seen whether he will have gone to the greens before Game 3 next night, which is played at 2:30 a.m. at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles…
| Stephen Curry | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Crew | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | party | Int | bp | CT | Points |
| 2009-10 | GOS | 80 | 36 | 46.2 | 43.7 | 88.5 | 0.6 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 3.2 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 17.5 |
| 2010-11 | GOS | 74 | 34 | 48.0 | 44.2 | 93.4 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.9 | 5.8 | 3.2 | 1.5 | 3.1 | 0.3 | 18.6 |
| 2011-12 | GOS | 26 | 28 | 49.0 | 45.5 | 80.9 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 0.3 | 14.7 |
| 2012-13 | GOS | 78 | 38 | 45.1 | 45.3 | 90.0 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 6.9 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 22.9 |
| 2013-14 | GOS | 78 | 37 | 47.1 | 42.4 | 88.5 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 8.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 24.0 |
| 2014-15 ★ | GOS | 80 | 33 | 48.7 | 44.3 | 91.4 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 4.3 | 7.7 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 0.2 | 23.8 |
| 2015-16 ★ | GOS | 79 | 34 | 50.4 | 45.4 | 90.8 | 0.9 | 4.6 | 5.4 | 6.7 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 30.1 |
| 2016-17 | GOS | 79 | 33 | 46.8 | 41.1 | 89.8 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 25.3 |
| 2017-18 | GOS | 51 | 32 | 49.5 | 42.3 | 92.1 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 5.1 | 6.1 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 0.2 | 26.4 |
| 2018-19 | GOS | 69 | 34 | 47.2 | 43.7 | 91.6 | 0.7 | 4.7 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 27.3 |
| 2019-20 | GOS | 5 | 28 | 40.2 | 24.5 | 100.0 | 0.8 | 4.4 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 20.8 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 63 | 34 | 48.2 | 42.1 | 91.6 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 1.9 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 0.1 | 32.0 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 64 | 35 | 43.7 | 38.0 | 92.3 | 0.5 | 4.7 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 2.0 | 1.3 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 25.5 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 56 | 35 | 49.3 | 42.7 | 91.5 | 0.7 | 5.4 | 6.1 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.4 | 29.4 |
| Total | 882 | 34 | 47.5 | 42.8 | 90.9 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 4.7 | 6.5 | 2.4 | 1.6 | 3.2 | 0.2 | 24.6 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def= defensive rebound; Tot = Total bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; Points = Points.
