Stephen Curry has been a star for the Golden State Warriors all decade long, but does he belong on the First-Team All-Decade list?
We all love a good offseason debate. In the summer, we often have endless arguments about which players are the best all-time. Recently, the NBATV Instagram page sparked controversy by releasing a list of their All-Decade NBA teams. This list included Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors as a member of the First-Team All-Decade.
For those who are unfamiliar with what I am talking about, essentially, three teams consisting of at least two guards and three forwards/centers were created. The criteria is that the best players of the decade (2010-19) would be picked. Therefore, nothing occurring before 2010 or after 2019 has any impact on the list.
Here is what the official results were:
- First-Team: Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard
- Second-Team: Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis
- Third-Team: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Paul George, Giannis Antetokounmpo, LaMarcus Aldridge
To no one’s surprise, the inclusion of Kobe Bryant on team three made fans of the NBA cause an uproar. It appears not many people are aware of what a decade is, as Bryant certainly did not have a better run from 2010-2019 than any other player ahead of him.
One more area of concern for many was Curry’s position on first team. Though anyone who has watched the NBA understands that Curry was one of the three best players to play this decade, there are still a massive amount of fans angered by him being ahead of Russell Westbrook.
To this, I say we let the accolades speak for themselves:
Stephen Curry since 2010-11:
- 3x NBA Champion
- 5x NBA Finals appearances
- 2x MVP
- 6x All-Star
- 6x All-NBA
- 1x Scoring champion
This resume is hard for anyone to argue with. Throw in the sheer value of his second MVP award and it’s impossible to suggest that any guard has had a more successful decade than Curry. He absolutely deserves his spot on the first team.
As for the other players, what do you think? Would you have moved Kobe Bryant up, or is he fine where he is? Feel free to let me know in the comments.