Birthday love and existential dread; Dub Nation watches Steph Curry turn 36
Enjoy the greatness while the sun still shines upon us in the Golden Empire.
Hey, it’s Stephen Curry’s birthday!
Earlier today I was at a work conference, sitting in the shadow of the giant uptown Oakland Curry mural that was the subject of an award winning piece I penned last year. Towering above the YMCA building’s massive parking structure, the painting shows Curry passionately reading to young children, an ode to Oakland’s Marcus Bookstores which is the nation's oldest Black-owned independent bookstore.
I was across the street with one of my best friends, a genius level music producer from Oakland who has a day job in San Francisco’s City Hall making sure their internet and technology is on point.
We’ve spent hella nights up until the wee hours of the morning in deep East Oakland music studios creating soundscapes, a shared experience of searching for a perfect sound. Over the years we’ve alternated between bellowing laughs that bounce around the studio walls in a cacophony of raw creativity and silliness, and also terse stream-of-consciousness stories about the various frustrations of life on this planet.
We sat in a deserted conference room overlooking Broadway, with sunshine bursting through the windows as a gleeful first whisper of impending spring. He shared with me how he had reached a flow state at his job recently. Thanks to his intense studying, former obstacles had now become footsteps to a job well done.
It’s always good to hear stories of victory and prosperity, especially when they’re tied to the paychecks that pay the rent and support Guitar Center spending sprees. He leaned back in the office chair, casting his eyes up to the fluorescent light bulbs affixed to the ceiling with a pleasant smile of satisfaction on his face.
“Life’s really good right now man,” he beamed.
“You’re killing it bro!” I encouraged. After a beat the smile faded from his face into a wry frown.
“Yeah”, he pondered. “That just means something else is gonna go wrong soon.”
Fascinating.
Curry is 36 years old today folks. That’s historically an age where guards his size aren’t still dominating the league. And that’s not some gold blooded hyperbole folks, that’s straight from the statistical database run by the Matrix aka Basketball Reference. I searched for any single season in the history of the NBA where a point and/or shooting guard, 6-foot-4 and under, and least 35 years of age, averaged at least 25 points per game.
Wow, wouldn’t you know, STEPHEN CURRY IS THE ONLY MAN TO EVER DO IT?! For reference:
Here’s some food for thought:
Dwyane Wade at age 36 was gearing up for a farewell tour after joining the Cleveland Cavaliers to support LeBron James’ desperate attempts to knock off Curry’s dynasty.
Allen Iverson’s last NBA season came when he was 34 years old before he went to play overseas in Turkey.
Isiah Thomas’ career ended at 32 years old, after he tore his Achilles tendon.
And on his birthday (a day where we should be celebrating him for all the joy he’s brought to the Bay and for the level of dominance he still carries) we’re lamenting how his most recent showing saw him sprain an ankle so bad Dub Nation reactively clutched their pearls.
Those darn ankle injuries are the reason I once said the Warriors should have traded Curry instead of Monta Ellis.
At the time I guessed that the nagging ankle injuries were proof he wasn’t NBA-tough and a harbinger of more doom to come. It seemed like every time he started playing great as a young Warrior, a terrible ankle injury would pop up to knock him out of commission. I couldn’t trust he’d string together healthy seasons. And as a longsuffering Dubs fan, I was jaded from a franchise that seemed to have something terrible happen every time there was something positive in the air.
Here’s a video entitled “Stephen Curry’s Many Ankle Injuries”. Check the timestamp (IT’S 10 YEARS OLD!):
And there were still some ankle-related scares even after he blossomed into the face of the league. People love to mention Curry’s 50-foot buzzer beater in Oklahoma City in 2016 to humiliate Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but I remember watching Curry take what looked like a devastating injury well before he pulled off the heroics in overtime.
I don’t know if newer fans understand just how long Dub Nation (and Coach Mark Jackson) have literally prayed for Curry’s ankles to heal strong and stay intact. So now that Curry has shattered more records than Michael Jackson, changed the game of basketball forever, and made the Golden State Warriors one of the greatest franchises of all time, I can look back and truly say it’s still kind of a dream.
I’ve had the true pleasure of sitting with my family and watching this man bring true dramatic joy in style to our viewing experience. There will never be another hooper, leader, and competitor quite like Curry. He was ahead of his time, and did it with a smile. And sometimes a gleeful sneer as he burned down the hopes dreams of all those who doubted him and stood in his way.
So as we wait for him to return from this most recent haggard ankle twist, there’s that hope and dread combo again right? Will he come back and be the most terrifying force in the game? And even if he does, IS SOMETHING ELSE GONNA GO WRONG? Annnd if they don’t get it done this year, will they be able to do it with a 37 year old Curry?
Sports is a funny little prism into how the human mind deals with exciting concepts like luck, fear, patience, and anger. As important as it is to prepare for what’s coming next, I like to rejuvenate in gratitude. One day Curry won’t be playing for the Warriors at all; I’m not looking forward to THOSE GSW problems.
Tonight, I raise a toast to the birthday boy, the four championships he’s brought to the Golden Empire, and to Dub Nation for being the fanbase that watched him mature from a bright eyed rookie into the superstar that he is today. Thank God he’s on our side.
WE DONE WITH THE 90'S!!!
JxmyHighroller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZ_HlpI8x8
A great perspective piece. Seems like everyone is taking stock at the moment...
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