STEPH CURRY: GEMCUTTER OF THE NBA
it is incredibly rare for me to sit down and write a piece about anything sports related at this point in my life. there was a time when i did it somewhat regularly. mainly because i was raised on the stuff. and sometimes i was lucky enough to string a few words together about the subject without embarrassing myself.
baseball… basketball… football (the American version)… football (the international version)… golf… hockey… tennis… the Olympics…
pretty much any major sport you could name… i played it… or i watched it… and i always relished it.
but… as you get older… you start to shift your energy and your focus towards the things that are most important to your existence. in most cases... it ends up being the stuff that has the best shot of paying your bills. if not that… then whatever the hell you might otherwise be obsessed with.
i’m a storyteller by trade. primarily in the realm of film and TV. it’s actually a horrible way to try to pay your bills. unless you’re JJ Abrams. then you pretty much have the best life on the planet.
i’m obsessed with storytelling. actually… i’m obsessed with the journey of life. i’m particularly engrossed with the lives of those who have led paths to greatness. so… while i might not have the time to be the sports fanatic that i used to be… i still find myself in awe of the women and men that transcend the game. those rare talents that make you believe that anything is possible.
i was supposed to be doing all kinds of work this weekend… but as per usual… i was distracted by FB and saw this post…
yes. one of the thousands of clips of Steph Curry in the kitchen doing WERK.
YouTube videos rarely change the course of my day. but that video… that video mesmerized me. even though it’s a few months old… i hadn’t seen it before… and i was awestruck.
like… completely fucking dumbfounded by the ridiculous skill level that Chef Curry has put together.
Steph Curry highlight videos are my #1 vice. they are the most dangerous controlled substance that i have to deal with on a day-to-day basis. as much as i might try to avoid them so i can continue to live a normal and functional life… i just can’t turn away. i have to have them. i need more.
i am a complete junkie.
as a matter of fact... here's another one that just ridiculous...
if you watch just a handful of Steph Curry highlights you’ll soon understand why he is my favorite player in the #NBA. by a wiiiiiiiiiide margin. i truly hope he wins 8 MVPs and 8 championships.
most folks love highlights where some extraordinary moment happens. someone gets broken down so hard that they almost pull a Rod Woodson. someone rises up to the heavens and *YAMS* on some unlucky victim. i prefer Chef Curry highlights more than any of the other options. they tend to be more subtle than the rest. more textured. more layered. like a Romare Bearden collage. unless Chris Paul happens to be on the receiving end. then it gets ugly. yeeeesh.
when Curry was a teenager… scouts knocked him for his lack of athleticism. that’s why he ended up playing at Davidson College. some folks might have lost their moxie in that process… but Steph clearly had the determination to take his game to new heights.
and right now… he’s in the stratosphere.
watching Steph play this season is like watching Jerry Rice circa 1986… except he’s traded in the pigskin for the rock.
i'm sure that Jerry appreciates Steph's game.
Mississippi Valley State, anyone?
the same people that once overlooked Steph now realize that he has the kind of game that doesn't need to rely on the ability to jump out of the gym. instead, he’s taken great care to make sure that his fundamentals (ball handling, passing, perimeter shooting, etc.) have been honed, shaped and polished to the point where they have become impossibly brilliant. he has made the absolute most of the gifts that the universe has given him. more importantly… he is utterly fearless on the hardwood… and maybe in life. it’s hard to believe that the things that make his game so special don't translate to his everyday journey. you can tell by the way that he plays that Steph lives his game. and there’s no question that his game is a reflection of his larger life. although his talents are almost impossible to comprehend… he seems to be filled with gratitude and humility for all of his blessings… which is why he will continue to be great even after he decides that his run as a professional basketball player has ended.
the craziest part of Steph’s story is that he hasn’t even reached his prime. he's a player that you watch and you have not of a clue of where his ceiling might be. those are always the best ballplayers to watch.
actually… scratch that…
those are the best people to surround yourself with whether you’re playing ball or not.
there’s a top secret term that we use here at UIWE to describe the people who we admire… whether we know them personally or not. we’ve got a big piece on SATIN JACKETS coming up this week and we were expecting to let the cat out of the bag with that post… but now that i’ve seen this clip of Chef Curry pulling a Paul Bocuse on the hardwood… i know that the time has come for the trade secret to be revealed…
Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II…
you…
are…
a…
believe me. we don’t use that term lightly. it’s the highest distinction that we can honor someone with. if we call you a gemcutter… it pretty much means that you tap dance all over everything that is considered to be ‘normal’ within the cosmic realm.
in other words… it’s some superhero shit.
we’ll go into further depths about gemcutters in our next post… but for now… we’re pretty sure that you’ve already got a solid feel of what we’re getting at.
and for those of you that follow hip-hop… i have no reservations in saying that Steph is pretty much the Kendrick Lamar of the league.
we’ve already shared our thoughts about K-Dot HERE. and that was before TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY dropped.
whether you agree with us or not… both Kendrick and Steph embody everything that we stand for at UIWE.
every. single. thang.
they are consummate craftsmen in an age where everyone wants microwaved dinners.
big props to the #GoldenStateWarriors for having the vision to draft the Chef. he's the realest in the field.
and now… back to work…
PS – we’re not the only ones who think Steph is hooping at an unfathomable level. if you want to peeps some stats and stuff that actually back up the claim then you might want to check this: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2417171-why-well-remember-2014-15-as-the-season-of-stephen-curry
#ChefCurryInTheKitchen
#gemcutter
#StephCurryForPresident
#ManyPeopleManyStoriesOneDestiny
#UIWE