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Entering the 2014-15 season, Chris Paul was considered by most to be the best point guard in the NBA. Seemingly overnight, Stephen Curry took that crown from Paul, winning his first of two consecutive MVP awards that season.
What’s more, from 2014-2017, Curry’s Warriors won 11 of the 12 games against Paul’s Clippers, including 10 straight in what was supposed to be a rivalry. Adding insult to injury, Curry did this to Paul in 2015, serving a microcosm of their matchup during that stretch.
It wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that such events caused a friction between the two players, especially on Paul’s end, with him quickly becoming an afterthought in debates on who is the best point guard in the NBA. But Curry revealed on Friday that Paul actually served as a mentor for him during Steph’s early years in the league, specifically during the summer after Curry was drafted in 2009.
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“He was a great mentor when it came to understanding how a guy on his level prepared over the summer for an NBA season,” Curry told Chris Haynes of ESPN. “How disciplined he was, his work ethic, and I got to see that firsthand after summer league through the beginning of the season. And obviously, we got a Carolina connection.”
Paul grew up in Winston-Salem, NC, just an hour and 30 minutes north of Curry’s hometown of Charlotte. Paul also attended Wake Forest.
“He demonstrated firsthand what it takes to be great in this league, and it was a nice little eye-opener for me that summer,” Curry continued. “Work out with him, compete against him and take that confidence I had into my rookie year [to] get off on a good foot.”
“I just told him to be aggressive, as aggressive as possible,” Paul said in an interview during Curry’s first offseason, now almost nine years ago. “And as you watch games, because you’re not sure if you’re going to start when you come in as a rookie, I told him when you watch, learn different things. The best thing you can do coming in as a rookie is to watch. Watch basketball. When your team’s not playing, watch another team play, because that’s how you learn.”
