Jaylen Brown on Steph Curry: “Steph Curry is one of the 5 greatest players to ever play this game. Y’all can say whatever you want, fill in the rest. Steph Curry is top 5.”
That makes sense, Jaylen was 19 when the Warriors Championship run kicked off.
And Tatum was barely a fetus!
Still is!
He’s only 19!
I love that 20 years from now when he’s an analyst or something there will still be a small group of people still making this joke
small group of people
shit man I think this joke is going to stick around better than that.
The year is 2051 and Jayson Tatum is 19!
But his mind is free
Tatum? Hardly knew ‘em!
What’s Tatum, precious?
Won’t Tatum not even turn 21 for another 8 months?
Fun fact. Deuce is older now than Tatum was when he won his championship.
Yooo time flies!
He just turned 20
He also lost a championship to Curry. People really seem to forget how incredible Curry was in 2022
I don’t think anybody forgot how incredible he was in 2022, especially the finals haha
My wife, a big Curry fan, used the “ring me” gesture he does during that run to tell me to propose 😆. Happily married for 3+ years now.
They do. Hard truth people won’t be able to swallow is that he’s the goat pg. He got the LeBron treatment in a sense that they’re saying that he should do X to be considered in the GOAT convo. Then does it, finishes it, then people continue to say he has to do ANOTHER X to be considered in the GOAT convo.
That is a idiom we call moving the goalpost.
Wrong sub, r/NFL is over there 👉
If by GOAT convo, you mean the best point guard of all time…he kinda got that already by 2022. There’s really nothing else he can do at this point in his career to elevate his legacy because he’s too old now.
I don’t think people’s hesitation to crown him GOAT PG is even about his stats or accomplishments. It’s that he’s a score first shooter rather than a traditional floor general. I know he does PG things too, but his passing isn’t on the level of Magic, Nash, Kidd, Stockton, CP3, etc. IMO he more than makes up for it with his shooting, but that’s where the hold out probably comes from.
Yeah, getting skyfucked by Curry in the biggest moment of your life at that point, I can see it leaving a permanent mark in your head. I wouldn’t personally have him top 5, but Curry is a once in a lifetime type player hard to really get angry at that placement.
Even just watching at home it felt so awe-inspiring (in a painful way), like there was just absolutely nothing anyone on Earth could do to stop Curry. I can’t imagine how much respect you’d have for him after actually seeing him on the court
I mean Ime running drop coverage didn’t help
Yeah and going against someone and seeing his skill right there in front of you is a good way to convince him of this. Hard to disagree or agree really. He’s amazing in almost every aspect but not sure who I would have in my top 5.
The Celtics defense was incredible that year too, and Steph made them look pedestrian with Andrew Wiggins as the 2nd option.
yea i’m not a big fan of the 2020 finals era but 2022 curry literally buttfucked the celtics. i’m actually sad the mavs lost to them in 2024 (even though they were the better team) but man it was such a good finals series to see curry and the warriors dismantle them bit by bit. even pacers okc went 7 games but curry 2022 was an absolute monster.
The 2022 championship run was legendary. They were pretty much shells of their old self from 19-26 and out of nowhere they put major BTA in the postseason of 22. He was most definitely cemented after that.
He was a LeBron therefore Cavs fan, so he wasn’t exactly celebrering Steph’s greatness
Best shooter in the history of the NBA is top 5, doesn’t seem like a controversial take — regardless of era.
Both in the Bay Area when it happened too
MJ, Kobe, LeBron, Steph, and KD are probably his top 5.
Close. He said his starting 5 are Steph, MJ, Kobe, Bron, and Bill Russell..
He has lived in Boston for a decade.
Yet Kobe over Bird….
he’s a 90s kid
Starting 5 is obviously different than top 5 but I can’t really see an argument against having Steph as the starting PG in any all time starting 5. Especially considering you’re very likely going to have multiple plus defenders at multiple other positions to round out your starting 5 around him.
If you replace Kobe with Hakeem or Timmy that team doesn’t lose to anyone. Ever.
Maybe .
It depends on the era and rules.
It is difficult to describe how much the game has changed over the last two decades. How many rules have been introduced or changed completely. The rules were changed with the direct goal of favoring offense while making defending more challenging. It makes sense because win or lose, offensive focused teams always got great ratings in the NBA. Even when the best teams were centered on defense.
Shaq’s dominance and the Pistons winning with no top 5 player or massive star, were the final nails.
Rule changes.
This makes it very difficult to compare players from the past to present. Especially post 2005.
The change to illegal defense and adding the three second, completely changed how PF/C could operate in the paint. It changed SO much about the NBA that it literally killed the traditional “big man”. It opened up the key for the first time, giving laneways to the basket for PG/SG/SF that simply didn’t exist in the 80’s and 90s.
That’s different.
Starting 5 is the best of each position, not best of all time.
Steph is 100% the best point guard of all time.
Probably not top 5 all time.
Magic
100% best pg of all time is way too strong of a statement
Why? Honestly the closest second is Magic and I’d say that gap is still significant enough
I mean it would be surprising if JB was watching Bill Russell highlights as a teenager
James Bond has other issues to attend to!
MJ, Kobe, Lebron, Steph and Jaylen Brown*
Pat
Lamar
My self
Josh Allen
Dak
Yall would be shocked by how many current players probably share this same sentiment
They actually have to go against him so it kinda makes sense
“That chemistry gonna help when you gotta guard Steph” - KD
everyone who was in the league for his unanimous MVP and 5 straight Finals appearances witnessed the great offensive peak ever. Then he had a legacy run to remind everyone who forgot.
lebron gave an entire conferene PTSD that his haters still have not recovered him and he’s been kind of a terror for 20 years
curry was a world beater in the west for a decent chunk too so yeah
Steph is at worst a top 15 player of all time, at best top 5 of all time. It’s not super outlandish to say he’s top 5, because he’s firmly objectively in the 5-15 range. He’s the best PG of all time.
at worst top 12, there is an immovable wall separating 12 greatest players mj lebron kareem magic bird duncan shaq russell wilt kobe curry and hakeem and the rest 13th and below
The Magic erasure is insane
I don’t even get why magic is better than bird
he’s not
He’s top 10. No way he’s outside that.
Hard to put guys like him and Shaq outside of the top 10 when they literally changed the game
There’s about 12-13 players that should be “top 10” but the practical issue is that there can only 10 players
Yeah if I’m making an all time starting 5, he’s the PG.
wtf is a point guard even
These debates are a huge waste of time, especially because basketball has evolved so much over the past 4 or 5 decades. What I’d say is that Curry is the best shooter ever and the best ever player under 6’4” or 6’5”. I also think he’s the best PG ever, though I know a lot of people would say Magic.
I don’t see a lot value in comparing him across eras with people who played totally different positions like Kareem, Wilt, Shaq, and Russell. I don’t even see much value in comparing him with LeBron, who is a totally different type of player in a different position entirely.
Within his niche (high volume scoring PG), Curry is clearly the best. Next best would probably be Nash. If you want a more “traditional” PG then maybe you take Magic, but I’d argue that the skill set of creating shots isn’t as important as the skill set of making threes on amazing efficiency and range, which is illustrated by Steph’s career vs. CP3’s.
Nash is like the furthest from high volume scoring pg.
Agreed, Nash won an MVP averaging 15.5 points per game
Yeah, IIRC lowest PPG for MVP.
Wes Unseld
Shooter yes. PG, hell no. He’s really not even a true PG if we boil it down. You say that because of his height.
Exactly. Since Kerr arrived to GSW, Steph averaged more assists per game than Draymond exactly twice in 11 seasons (not counting the 5-game one when he was injured). The first season, and 2024-25.
As a player archetype, I feel like Curry is more similar to Ray Allen, Reggie Miller, Rip Hamilton, Kyle Korver, etc. He and Klay being called Splash Brothers also kinda indicates a stylistic similarity as off ball movement shooters.
However, Curry is the the only superstar / MVP caliber player in that category so inevitably he is compared to players outside his niche so that he can be compared with a class of player that can match his impact and/or his achievements.
One of my favorite comparisons is actually to Shaq because they are inverses of each other. Shaq demands so much attention inside that it created open looks on the perimeter, while Curry demands so much attention on the perimeter it creates open looks inside.
Well, the other side of Curry is that he has an elite handle/agility and is a phenomenal finisher at the rim, which you can’t really say for someone like Korver or Klay. To characterize him as just a spot up shooter is not very accurate either IMO. And while he’s not Magic or Stockton when it comes to assists, he’s a decent facilitator.
The closest comparisons are the likes of Nash, Lillard, and Maxey.
I think putting players into categories and then ranking them is valuable, but being able to compare players that do different things is valuable itself, I believe.
Like being able to compare Curry to KG can valuable, and car stir up good discussions. Which skills are MORE important to basketball that each possession? It’s almost “easy” to say “well Nash has no rings and shoots so he’s a worse curry” but it’s harder to argue for why KG’s defensive impact is more important than curry’s offensive impact, but you can make arguments.
I just hate when people only think comparing apples to apples is the only way.
The PG ever debate is interesting. I think people could say magic and I’d respect that. Steph and Magic are really totally different PGs.
But, if you’re building a best starting 5 you’ve probably got Steph at PG, because what you get from magic you can probably get closer to elsewhere in the starting 5 than you could get close to Steph
y’all would be shocked how many current players can’t name 5 NBA players from each decade.
They similarly hype up AI and Kobe and Kyrie and T-Mac. Exciting to watch players are always slightly overrated by their peers.
Curry is in that 8-12 range in my opinion. He’s absolutely not top 5.
I’m kinda confused. Are you saying this is a hot take?
Only on reddit and with 50+ year olds is it a hot take for some bizarre reason
Really not shocking that the greatest shooter ever is seen as top 5 by the kids who watched him change the game when they were growing up
I’m not shocked because game recognize game
You wanted a low cardio night but your coach told you guard Steph Curry and mf doesn’t even have the ball
Not really. I’d be shocked if older players shared this sentiment.
My top 5 are pistol Pete, Shawn kemp…..fill in the rest, fam
I mean he’s at this point a consensus top 10-12 guy now so it’s not a crazy stretch for many folks who’re a little younger and may not include the old guys like wilt or even magic/bird
People rate whoever they grew up watching. This isn’t news
Shocked by the greatest shooter ever being one of the five best to ever do it? I’m not. He’s a top 5 player.
Fans rate all time ranking based on accolades, peak, longevity, then the eye test.
Players rate all time rankings based on what they saw on the court, and way further down, accolades; that’s it.
It’s why people are so shocked when players rate Kobe so highly. They either played against him or grew up with him as their idol. He is their guy. No amount of stats or analysis can change that.
Fans will never understand how players view other players when fans can’t stop looking at the box score
Yep he’s one of the 20 top 5 players of all time
One of 1000 GOATs
There has never been better player than those 10-15 dudes
literally just a fine opinion to have when you are not obsessed with online rankings lmao
It is refreshing to be able to have a largely subjective opinion based upon individual criteria and not be bombarded by people attacking it based upon ‘advanced’ stats as if it can be completely objectively measured.
It’s also not a crazy opinion even if you wanna nerd out about this stuff. Curry’s resume is comparable to any of Magic, Bird, Shaq, or Duncan when you count rings, finals appearances, MVPs, All NBA/All star selections. And if the resume is close you can make the argument for any of them.
If you wanna go even deeper into the weeds with stats, advanced stats like relative true shooting and offensive impact are gonna look great for Curry.
About to be a bunch of people here crying that people have a different opinion.
Nothing gets redditors madder than seeing someone make a list that they don’t agree with.
Just say Kobe is top 5 and watch
Curry is a perfectly valid player to have in the top 5 and if you don’t think so that’s fine, that’s your opinion
Bro get the FUCK out of here. Fuck ass sensibility smh
Can’t stand people like this. Being all reasonable and shit. Boo this man
My top 5 fruits of all time:
Some redditor be like: Apple not in the 5 is crazy.
Ok but be honest tomato at #1 is an absolute joke
plus dude has probably never even seen a mango let alone bit one
I actually have Curry 3. I don’t care what anyone else thinks. My opinion is formed over 15 years of watching him while also being fortunate enough to watch most of the other greats careers post 1985.
Curry has the worst whistle in NBA history, has been the tightest and most physically guarded player in history, while being one of the smallest and least athletic. Outside of Jordan and Shaq i doubt there was a more feared player to go against any given night.
Accolades aren’t everything.
1-Lebron
2-Lebron
3-Curry
4-Fake Klay Thompson
5-Bam
fake klay
seth curry
lebron james jr
thanasis antetokoumpo
bam
Ellie knower of ball
The reaction to this and Lowe saying Jokic will end up better than Bird/Magic is hilarious.
https://media.tenor.com/KDYqX0mpdYQAAAAe/yuno-ball.png
No need for anyone to cry. Everyone’s got different opinions snd guys who have stepped on the court in tough battles should have their opinions respected in most cases. Lots of guys have different criteria and such. Majority at least agree MJ is the best and then rank from 2 to 20 very differently.
Don’t really see anyone ranking 20 players lol
Lmao you find a way to hype up MJ even in this like thankfully most people agree my opinion is correct. That’s far from a consensus opinion. It’s usually LeBron and MJ top 2 then very different from there on out.
2022 seems to have left an imprint
People always say stuff like this but then they don’t actually list their top 5 because once they do, it becomes super obvious that whoever they’re leaving off deserves to be there more.
Imagine trusting a guy who’s won an NBA championship instead of strangers on the internet.
It’s ridiculous how dismissive people are
If you wanna build an all time team you will have Steph in your starting 5.
Cant blame a guy who got to see his whole career as closely as Brown did to say this about Steph
i won’t tolerate any curry slander about the second play-in game against phoenix. Curry was playing on 0 days rest after just coming back from not playing for 1⁄3 of the season due to a knee injury - at 38 years of age.
and his play style requires a ton of movement and change of direction with a non-existent whistle from the refs, which i’ve never understood.
Steph Curry will forever be remembered by me as my favorite player ever and one of the most legendary players of all time.
steph is to gen z hoopers what kobe was to millennial hoopers–probably a little overrated by the generation who grew up watching him, and that’s alright.
I can see the argument at 5. Personally I got 1. LeBron 2. MJ 3. Kareem 4-5 up for grabs. Shaq, Duncan, Bird, Steph, Magic. Any could be 4 or 5. Personally I have Kobe out think he just gets put top 5 bc he died definitely in the top 10 though.
JB with another W
🤙
Top 5 of the most influential players of all time certainly. Maybe there are best players, but very few that has changed the game as much as he did
I’ve always thought James Harden was actually the really influential guard from this generation — just because literally no one can do what Curry does and peak James Harden’s shot diet and playstyle is basically what every star guard tries to emulate these days. Luka’s straight-up a James Harden variant, Shai’s game is different but takes a lot of inspiration of Harden, etc.
Greatest shooter we’ve ever seen top 5 for sure
Stephs great but there is so much greatness in the top 10 its hard to put him in it. I dont have him over Duncan, and hes also barely a top 10.
I personally don’t have Curry top 5 but it’s pretty obvious that once he retires he’s going to be recognized top 10. Where people place him in that is up for debate, his career is quite interesting for ranking purposes.
I don’t know about Curry being a top 5 player
Top 5-6 is right for curry ngl
He’s definitely top 5 peak for peak but i think he bloomed too late/had too many injuries
So Bron, MJ, Kareem are locked.
Is Curry above Wilt, bird, magic, russell, olajuwon, shaq, duncan, kobe, Malone, and some others? Highly unlikely
I don’t know which of Wilt, Russell, Kareem, MJ or LeBron he’s knocking out of the 5 greatest players of all time to put Steph in.
Well we know it’s not LeBron, he was a LeBron fan. And ofc it’s not MJ either
MJ, Bron, Kareem locked in but I don’t mind putting Curry ahead of Russell and Wilt. Would I personally? Probably not, but I don’t mind it.
If he’s top 5 then I’m Luka Doncic
Hope you can heal up for our series
Busy in Manhattan beach on my electric bike
Nah. Recency bias
Steph is not top 5 but definitely top 10
Not surprising. This is a prime example of recency bias. No hate on steph, JB probably never even watched a bunch of legends play. And when it’s someone you play against who dicked you down in the finals you’re gonna feel some type of way
I need to leave this place man these comments are painful to read.
It’s like the fifa community and 89.1, r/NBA will NEVER escape the nephew allegations.
Steph Curry really is gonna be the next Kobe Bryant when it comes to these all time lists
Top 5 of the current era sure
Bill Russell, Jordan, Wilt, Kareem, and Bron.
Its not about counting trophies. Its about if you are putting a starting 5 out there curry is the only one that stretches a defense without the ball putting him on the floor is more valuable than another player that needs the ball to be functional.
Sure there are more than 5 iso 1 on 1 players that are better but this is a team sport. If jaylen is viewing top 5 as a starting 5 complete team I agree. If he’s just talking about individual dominance then probably not.
Being far and away the best shooter in the game’s history. That matters.
Jaylen “I once lectured at Harvard” Brown
Offensively, sure. Overall? Def top 10
100%%% love him or hate him, he is so fun to play and such a winner!
MJ, LeBron, Kareem, Magic, Curry?
No he isn’t
greatest shooter of all time
Bam
Curry
Jordan
Kobe
Shaq
Honorary pick goes to 2016 Shaun Livingston
Also according to Jaylen Brown, the MVP this season should be Jaylen Brown.
There are 20 guys in the Top 10
He has been disrespected but he is top 5
NBA fans are going to wrestle with the fact that Magic and Bird being consensus 4 and 5 will very soon be a topic. Those seats are up for grabs.
Greatest shooter of all time? Probably.
Steph curry is not better than Larry bird and it bugs me that neither Tatum or brown seems to have the slightest knowledge of Larry birds greatness.
IMO People tend to over rate players and retired players ranking of other players.
If anything these guys probably have the least objective rankings. Think about the biases they have. By ranking certain players higher they can help shape the perception of their own career. Also they have friends and foes that I’m sure also influence what they put out.
This is so great to hear coming from a fan watching him at Davidson. Hearing all the pre draft people saying he wouldn’t do much in the league. To seeing nba players say this…
I like JB but this brotha is nonsensical.
Steph feels hard to rank because he’s a lot less complete than other top 10 players (MJ, Bron, Tim Duncan, Shaq, Kobe etc) but his one thing is SO unstoppable that it almost doesn’t matter. Teams probably have to game plan around him way more than a conventionally incredible player so pros who have played against him rate him higher than an observer
bro trying to make excuses for 2022 lmao
hes loosing his brain alongside loosing hair..
Yeah no. Top 10 which is great.
Wilt, Bam, Kobe, Anthony Edwards and Steph. - Kelel Ware probably
No
He is the best floor spacer who has ever played point guard, and almost every great would pick him to be their point guard if they could pick any one person to do it because of that.
It isn’t about anything else really. He’s the All-Time NBA team’s PG, even if you don’t think he’s a top 5 guy.
All time hell no…
I’ve never seen someone of his caliber go 4-16 and immediately get slobbed up like this GD.
You would think this mfer put on some type of heroic performance.
He wasn’t even a top 3 performer against PHX jfc
Nah, no way
He’s a top 5 Curry no doubt.
It’s not who we include. But who you exclude.
This isn’t a crazy take
Curry’s not even top 10. Yes he’s one of the greatest scorers, but people forget how bad his defense is. Defense is apart of the game
Yet another example of this subs bias for Steph. If JB had said Giannis is top 5, all the comments would be laughing at him instead of “everyone is entitled to their opinion” bullshit
You can even argue Steph has a better career than LeBron.
When you quit focusing on ranking, and switch to tiers, life becomes so much better. Steph is a 2nd tier player with Larry and Magic and Hakeem and Kobe and Timmy and Shaq. Guys that if they are the best player on your team, you aren’t just a contender every year. You will win championships. Multiple. And that’s a great place for Steph to be. Then you have Kareeem, Mike, and LeBron in the 1st tier.
I think you rate pre 1970 players differently. Only because of the number of teams in the league. Russell being the obvious pre 70 tier 1.
I might give Steph credit for being top 5 impact on the game. He basically proved that you can base your offense around the 3 point shot and be successful.
I always ask people if you were starting a team from scratch where would you pick him? He can make so many other players better due to spacing. he’s hard to rank.
Can’t stay healthy and needs a Draymond I’ll pass
Recency bias.Dude a goat but completely missed playoffs 7 times in his career.Even Bron drug lesser Cavs teams to the playoffs.
no
Ok
Knows ball.
I don’t often agree with Jaylen Brown, but he is correct. Curry is top 5
Except for he is not. Lebron MJ Kareem Magic Duncan Bird russell all clear steph and that’s not a knock on steph.
I’d put him at 6-7 but I aint mad at anyone putting him at 5.
LOL
Sorry, just no - All time great offensive player - absolutely terrible on defense and had to have a mega super duper team around him just to beat the Goat
I have him in my top 15
All time, if I have to pick players to take, it goes Jordan LeBron Kareem, then I’d have Duncan and Bird…Shaq and Russell I guess. I’d take Curry over Kobe, Magic and Wilt while Hakeem, Moses and KD make me think but I still feel comfortable with Curry over them. I don’t feel like I can judge the Big O, West, and Baylor through a modern lens to fairly rate them here. So he isn’t in my top 5, but is in my top 10, and I could see how people can talk themselves into Curry missing their top 15
This is perfectly fine. I think it’s weird to have people on your top 5 that you didn’t watch play live. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone
Bird
Not sure on center but Bill Russell had 11 titles in 12 years and dominated both ends.
Yes, no question Steph is one of the best ever!
Curry is not even top 10
Curry was the reason why kids at LA fitness is shooting half court two hands, cock and balls in face contested shots. Maybe not the top 5 best but definitely top 5 influential
I can’t replace Magic as my favorite PG or MJ as my favorite SG but it feels so stupid to leave the very best shooter in the history of the game off of the top 5.
Jaylen Brown is a moron.
Say what you want, but there’s generally an argument about who the greatest ____ is.
GOAT, greatest scorer, greatest defender, greatest big/wing/guard.
There isn’t any argument about greatest shooter. It’s settled, and unanimous. For now, at least.
If your greatest 5 of all time includes the greatest shooter ever, it includes Steph.
shits sad
this is the fakest way to get fans going into the playoffs lol. He knows he gonna be on tv alot soon so may as well just glaze steph so ppl like you
thats my MVP too jb
He’s closer to the top 10 than KD at least
Doing it as a shorter player (by NBA standards), being the centerpiece of 4 title teams, and his Olympics heroics… I’m not in a position to disagree.
Curry to JB: I OWN YOUR ASS