In just a few years, No. 30 will be hanging in the rafters of Chase Center, the greatest player in the history of the Golden State Warriors.
In year 18 and counting, Wardell Stephen Curry has outlasted dozens of teammates in San Francisco. He arrived three years before Draymond Green and five years before Steve Kerr. Some of those teammates saw great success elsewhere before or after playing alongside Curry.
Over the years, Curry has elevated all manner of teammates to new heights, with his leadership, gravity, and shooting setting everyone up to succeed. And they have, to the tune of four titles and six trips to the NBA Finals.
As his career enters its twilight phase, it's worth looking back. Who were the best players who ever teamed up with Stephen Curry? By that, we mean the greatest players to ever come through — thus, Chris Paul will rank quite highly on this list, a top-25 player of all time, even though his time on the Warriors was brief at the end of his career.
Some of these players were made by Curry; others merely passed through and got a touch of his greatness. In honor of No. 30 himself, we rank the 30 greatest players to ever play with Stephen Curry.
No. 30: Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Lin is a household name among basketball fans not because of his cup of tea with the Warriors, but because of his breakout with the New York Knicks. "Linsanity" took over the league, the city, and briefly the entire sports world, with Lin both thunderously effective and extremely novel given the lack of Asian-American impact in the NBA.
Lin would bounce all around the league after his breakout, playing for six teams after the Knicks, but many do not realize that his career began with the Warriors in 2010. The hometown Lin signed as an undrafted free agent in Golden State and played 29 games as a rookie, buried behind Curry and Monta Ellis on the depth chart. The Warriors waived him after one season to make a restricted free agent offer to DeAndre Jordan, and he caught on with New York — and the rest is history.
No. 29: Buddy Hield
The sixth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Bahamas native Buddy Hield was a college phenom at Oklahoma and entered the league with plenty of excitement. He absolutely delivered on his shooting potential, hitting 39.5 percent of his 3-pointers over the course of his career at extremely high volume. He is already 15th all-time in made 3-pointers and still climbing.
What Hield brought on offense was often given back on defense, however. Some teams made the most of his shooting volume and gravity; others did not and struggled to win with Hield in the lineup. He became something of a journeyman player, bouncing from team to team, and thus landed in Golden State in 2024. He played 126 games for the Dubs, proving to be a solid locker room presence and, unfortunately, an overly flawed on-court player. He was traded alongside Jonathan Kuminga to the Atlanta Hawks for Kristaps Porzingis at the 2026 trade deadline.
No. 28: Dennis Schroder
The 2024-25 Warriors lost De'Anthony Melton to injury and needed another guard to spell and, at times, play alongside Curry. They chose Dennis Schroder, in the midst of a stellar year for a Brooklyn Nets team going nowhere. Schroder came, was a terrible fit for the Warriors' system, and was flipped at the trade deadline just two months later.
It was a minor blip on the ultimate journeyman career, as Schroder has played for 11 franchises in his 13-year career. He became a solid starting point guard in Atlanta, taking over for Jeff Teague, but then has been shuffled around the NBA. Sometimes he proves to be the exact steadying hand that the team needs, and at others he is an also-ran who is dumped or cut loose. At the time of writing, he is preparing to play for his 12th team, the Charlotte Hornets.
No. 27: Nate Robinson
Dunk Contest performances against Dwight Howard? Check. Playing for the New York Knicks? Check. Spending time as the spark plug bench guard on a contending Boston Celtics team? Check. Nate Robinson made a name for himself that far outpaced his actual impact on the basketball court.
Snuck into his career is a brief 51-game stint with the Warriors. Robinson signed with the Dubs as a free agent in January 2012, and the Seattle native backed up Curry for the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. He popped off for some big performances and was an underrated passer, although his short stature certainly held him back. After the year, he joined the Chicago Bulls and played out the last few seasons of his career.
No. 26: Donte DiVincenzo
The one that got away, Donte DiVincenzo was a buy-low signing for the Warriors after injuries ended his time with the Milwaukee Bucks. They signed him to a one-year prove-it deal, and he proved it extremely well. He played 72 games, making 36 starts both in place of and beside Stephen Curry.
DiVincenzo played so well, in fact, that the Warriors could literally not offer him a large enough contract to come back on "Non-Bird Rights" and he left for the New York Knicks. DiVincenzo became the one member of the Villanova four to miss out on last year's championship run, and he instead is playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves as a running, gunning, crafty combo guard.
No. 25: Carl Landry
The 2012-13 Golden State Warriors are a well-known bunch in the history of Curry because it was the first season of the team's run of playoff appearances. The Splash Brothers played their first postseason together, upsetting the Denver Nuggets and pushing a Spurs team that made it to the NBA Finals.
Carl Landry was the backup power forward on the team, playing 81 games behind All-Star David Lee. He had a smooth midrange jumper, played tough defense, and proved a good fit for head coach Mark Jackson's scheme. After that season, Landry opted out of his contract to sign a lucrative deal with the Sacramento Kings. That cleared room for a young player named Draymond Green to spread his wings. In all, Landry played nine seasons as a solid two-way forward.
No. 24: Harrison Barnes
The Black Falcon played a critical role on those early Stephen Curry playoff teams, the fifth starter who could defend multiple positions and help make the "Death Lineup" possible. Everyone knew that the former North Carolina star was the weak link in that lineup, but he played hard, defended well, and made enough shots to justify his spot.
Until, of course, he didn't, as Barnes shot terribly in the 2016 NBA Finals, infamously missing multiple wide-open shots in a Game 7 loss that gave the Cleveland Cavaliers the victory. Barnes left for the Dallas Mavericks when the Warriors replaced him with Kevin Durant — a move you can hardly blame Barnes for — and established a long career playing in Dallas, Sacramento, and San Antonio; with the Spurs he made a return to the NBA Finals but once again lost.
No. 23: Anderson Varejao
Anderson Varejao played nearly his entire career for the Cleveland Cavaliers, a hyperactive big man who toggled between starting and coming off the bench during his 14-year career. It is hard for Warriors fans to forget his path to joining the Dubs: the 2016 Cavaliers dumped him on the Portland Trail Blazers via trade; the Blazers waived him, and he signed on with the Warriors.
That meant Varejao was facing off against his former team just a few months later in the NBA Finals, although he did not see much playing time. When Cleveland won, they offered their former player a championship ring! (He declined.) After a handful of games with Golden State the next season, they waived him, and he would eventually return to the Cavs for a few games to end his career.
No. 22: Andrew Wiggins
The first All-Star to make the list, Andrew Wiggins has a career bursting with contradictions. He was the No. 1 overall pick and once made an All-Star Game, but he also has always been best deployed in a low-usage role, defending and shooting and finishing. It took him a long time to realize that, but the Warriors and later the Miami Heat have found a way to maximize that impact.
Golden State did so in 2022, when Wiggins not only started on the wing for them during a long playoff run, but he was arguably the team's second-best player in that postseason, including mammoth games against the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals and the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.
No. 21: Monta Ellis
It may be surprising to see Monta Ellis so far down this list, but for all of his high-octane scoring and his place in Stephen Curry's story, Ellis did not accomplish much in the NBA overall.
Ellis was the incumbent "star" guard in Golden State when the franchise drafted Curry in 2009. If they had gone through with the rumored trade for Amar'e Stoudemire, it would have been Amar'e and Monta teaming up. Instead, Curry arrived and was instantly recognized as the face of the franchise. The two coexisted for multiple seasons, but eventually the team had to decide between Curry and Ellis.
Monta was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in a package bringing back All-Defense center Andrew Bogut. The 6'3" guard continued to pour in points in Milwaukee, Dallas, and Indiana, but his efficiency and lack of two-way impact eventually ended his career after 12 seasons.
No. 20: D'Angelo Russell
D'Angelo Russell deserves credit; a player of an archetype similar to Ellis, although with better passing and worse individual shot creation, Russell was a player whose stats always outpaced his impact. That proved true during his brief time in Golden State as well.
The Warriors added Russell in a sign-and-trade that Bob Myers pulled off as part of Kevin Durant leaving in free agency. That allowed the Warriors to maintain his salary slot by adding Russell. The point guard was a terrible fit for Steve Kerr's system, and he only played five games in total beside Curry before Steph broke his hand.
Russell was shipped out at the trade deadline for Andrew Wiggins and a first-round pick, a pick that became the No. 7 pick in the next year's draft. It was a coup for a player who would continue to decline over the next few seasons, becoming a backup and then a fringe rotation player who bounced around the league.
No. 19: Raja Bell
One of the premier 3-and-D wings of the 2000s, Raja Bell established himself as the ideal role player for playoff teams in Utah and Phoenix. He took on the most intimidating perimeter assignment, not generating steals but playing the classic "lock him up" style man defense that was in vogue at the time.
As his career began to wind down, Bell joined the Warriors via trade in November 2009. He would play in just a single game, scoring 11 points off the bench alongside rookie Stephen Curry. He battled injuries for much of the year and was ultimately waived by a bad Golden State team.
No. 18: Shaun Livingston
For a player whose career was defined by a catastrophic knee injury, Shaun Livingston still managed to carve out a long, 14-year career. He transformed into a steady role player who landed in Golden State in 2014 and played critical roles on multiple championship teams.
The long-limbed Livingston was the perfect changeup pitch to Curry, backing up the ever-running sharpshooter and playing slow, measured, under control. His midrange jumper was money, his passing was on point, and defensively he was a major impact player for the Warriors' bench units. He backed up Curry for five seasons, playing in five NBA Finals and winning three trophies with the club before retiring.
No. 17: Leandro Barbosa
Another role player on the dynasty Warriors, Leandro Barbosa had flair where Livingston had poise. He was "The Brazilian Blur," a quick-darting combo guard who was absolutely unleashed in transition. If he had the ball, he was attacking the rim, defenders or no.
Barbosa's time in Golden State came after a long career, both in Brazil and in the NBA. He played for the Phoenix Suns for seven seasons, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 2006-07 and finishing second the following year. After a few years bouncing around, Steve Kerr brought him to Golden State and he played on two Finals teams. Later, after he retired, Barbosa was an assistant coach on Kerr's staff and won the 2022 championship.
No. 16: Kristaps Porzingis
Kristaps Porzingis is the first player on this list who is, at the time of writing, on the roster with Stephen Curry. The Warriors traded away disappointing forward Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield for Porzingis, who played only 15 games for the Dubs as they wobbled their way to the finish line of the 2025-26 season.
Porzingis re-signed with the team and looks to bring the combination of 3-point shooting and rim protection that he has uniquely brought to every team in his career. Injuries and sickness have kept him off the court, but when he has played, he is highly impactful — just ask the 2024 Boston Celtics, who started Porzingis when he was healthy en route to a title. Those injuries are why he has made just one All-Star Game in his career, but his talent level rises above that mark.
No. 15: Corey Maggette
Duke star Corey Maggette entered the NBA in 1999 and became as well-known for his part in multiple blockbuster trades as for his high-scoring abilities. Maggette's superpower was drawing free throws, consistently getting to the line as a powerful, undersized forward.
After a long stint with the Los Angeles Clippers, Maggette signed a five-year deal with Golden State. He spent two years with the team, the year before Curry arrived and then the Chef's rookie season. Maggette was the second-leading scorer behind Ellis and ahead of Curry that season. The next offseason, Maggette was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Charlie Bell and Dan Gadzuric.
No. 14: Richard Jefferson
Richard Jefferson is a well-known name in NBA circles for a variety of reasons. He began his career as a high-scoring forward on the New Jersey Nets, starting on an NBA Finals team by his second season. He started next to Tony Parker and Tim Duncan for the Spurs for three years. He was even a valued role player on the 2015-16 Cleveland Cavaliers team that pulled off the 3-1 upset. Nowadays, he is part of the top broadcast team for ESPN calling the NBA Finals.
What most NBA and even Warriors fans don't know is that Jefferson also played for Golden State. He suited up for 78 games between 2011 and 2013, traded to the team in exchange for Stephen Jackson. He was nearly nonexistent for the Dubs, averaging only 4.8 points in 14.7 minutes per game. He was a throw-in for the Andre Iguodala deal, and from there he extended his career for another five seasons as a solid role player.
No. 13: Andrew Bogut
Our second starter from that original NBA champion Curry team is Andrew Bogut. He and Curry were a match made in basketball heaven. Bogut was a hulking center who didn't want to score, but instead was content to handle at the elbows, wait for Curry to come open, and hit him with a pass. Or set a screen to spring him free. Or run a dribble handoff and lumber into rebounding position. Elite rim protection, excellent rebounding, slick passing — the very first ideal Curry big man.
The Australian center was the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, playing seven seasons in Milwaukee as one of the league's better defenders and even making the All-NBA Third Team in 2010. The Warriors traded Monta Ellis for Bogut, taking a chance that he could overcome his injury issues, and sure enough, he started for the next four seasons, including the 2015 title and the 2016 trip to the Finals. Bogut would even return in the 2018-19 season, playing a real rotation role down the stretch of their run to the Finals.
No. 12: Stephen Jackson
Cap'n Jack had a brief but memorable stint in Golden State as a part of the We Believe Warriors. A late second-round pick in 1997, Jackson had to start his career overseas before finally catching on with the New Jersey Nets three years later. He would develop into a high-scoring wing who played 14 years in the NBA.
A run-in with the law saw Jackson traded out of Indiana in 2007 and to the Warriors. Jackson would turn things around in Golden State, becoming the wingman to Baron Davis on the magical 2007 team. He would stick around for another two years, overlapping with Stephen Curry for just nine games of Curry's rookie season before he was traded to Charlotte for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic.
No. 11: David Lee
David Lee was a double-double machine for the New York Knicks to start his career, prompting the Warriors to trade a collection of players for him in July 2010. He would continue rolling in his new home, including an All-NBA Third Team selection in 2012-13 as the more established star for Golden State as they rose to become a playoff team.
Lee would still be around in 2014-15, penciled in as the starter at power forward, when he hurt his hamstring and missed the next two months. By the time he returned, Draymond Green was entrenched as the starter, and the Warriors were soaring. Lee had a few moments off the bench in the playoffs, then was moved the next summer to get off his contract.
No. 10: Andre Iguodala
In terms of importance to the Stephen Curry era, Andre Iguodala probably ranks fourth among all the players to team up with Curry over the years. In terms of total career impact in the NBA, however, he clocks in a little further back.
A do-it-all defensive maven in Philadelphia, Iguodala made a single All-Star Game in his eight years with the 76ers but probably deserved a couple more. He then spent one season in Denver, with his versatility on both ends of the court unlocking the ultimate "no-star" team that earned the No. 3 seed.
Then Iguodala was traded to the Warriors, and the rest is history. He proved to be the ultimate competitor and a perfect fit for Steve Kerr's system, able to toggle between initiating offense and playing as a finisher depending on the lineup. His defense on LeBron James in the 2015 NBA Finals earned him the Finals MVP award. He was a part of the greatest single lineup in NBA history, the "Hamptons 5" of Iguodala, Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Kevin Durant.
Iguodala spent two seasons in Miami during the down years of the Warriors, then returned in 2021-22 and won a fourth championship with the team. He will have his jersey retired by the franchise.
No. 9: David West
Throughout the Curry era, the Warriors have attracted talented former All-Stars near the end of their careers, looking for a chance to play meaningful basketball alongside a singular talent like Stephen Curry. David West was one such player, suiting up for the Dubs for two championship seasons in 2017 and 2018.
West slowly ramped up his NBA career with the New Orleans Hornets, eventually becoming a two-time All-Star averaging 20 points per game. He then joined the Indiana Pacers during the Roy Hibbert, Paul George era and served as a foil to the LeBron James Miami Heat teams.
In 2015, West shifted into ring-chasing mode. He joined the San Antonio Spurs in 2015-16 and played a key role on a team good enough to contend, and the following year signed with the Warriors and played two years alongside Curry, winning two rings.
No. 8: DeMarcus Cousins
One of the loudest personalities in the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins was both an enigma and an unstoppable force in Kentucky, and parlayed that into a productive NBA career. He entered the league as one of its better offensive rebounders with excellent touch around the basket, and over time that touch increased to jumpers and ultimately 3-pointers. Few big men were as offensively gifted as Cousins.
The four-time All-Star did struggle to put it all together, however, scoring more on volume than efficiency and struggling mightily on defense. When he signed with the Warriors for a pittance in 2018-19, he was supposed to be riches on top of riches for the two-time defending champions.
Instead, Cousins was a terrible fit for Kerr's system, making mistakes on both ends of the court, and never developed an iota of chemistry with Curry. Injuries plagued his year, and he was unable to step up in the NBA Finals when the Warriors lost Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and needed star support for Curry. He lasted just one year with the team.
No. 7: Al Horford
Al Horford has done very little for the Warriors in his tenure, which, at the time of writing, is entering its second season. Joining the team for his 19th season, he played in only 45 games — although he hit some big shots for the team in a Play-In victory over the rival LA Clippers.
Horford's impact on the league, however, is monumental compared to his end-of-career joining of the Warriors. A five-time All-Star, Horford was a two-way force who then reinvented himself as a stretch-5 role player and won a title with the Boston Celtics. His ability to defend centers like Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic makes him a truly valuable weapon, a fitting second act for the high-octane star he was to start his career.
No. 6: Klay Thompson
2,899.
That is how many 3-pointers Klay Thompson has made in his regular-season career, just behind Ray Allen for fourth-most all-time. Perhaps the greatest pure shooter in NBA history, Thompson both benefited from playing alongside Curry and perhaps was overshadowed by him. Even so, his impact on basketball and the Warriors is titanic.
Thompson's size and length at the shooting guard position unlocked the dynasty Warriors, as he could defend at the point of attack and free up Curry for a lesser assignment. The impact of Curry's elite shooting is incredible, but when the Warriors could throw the league's two best shooters onto the court, defenses merely broke. Four rings, six trips to the NBA Finals, and a dynasty between them. All hail the Splash Brothers.
No. 5: Jermaine O'Neal
Even hardcore Warriors fans probably did a double take upon seeing Jermaine O'Neal's name. The pride of Eau Claire High School in South Carolina, O'Neal joined the NBA straight out of high school and was a six-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA selection. The 6'11" center was a defensive monster and churned out 20-10 like it was nothing on a nightly basis. In 2003-04, he finished as high as third in MVP voting.
A full decade later, in his final season in the league, O'Neal joined the 2013-14 Warriors and played 44 games for them. He was the backup center and even started a few games in the playoffs during the team's first-round loss to the LA Clippers. His career is underrated in league history, and his time with the Warriors was similarly under the radar.
No. 4: Draymond Green
The antics and the bluster and the temper are all a real part of Draymond Green's legacy and cannot be dismissed. If you can look past them briefly, however, you see a player who may have been the greatest defender of the modern era.
Playing his entire career in Golden State, Green unlocks everything the Warriors have done on the defensive end while also being the ideal on-ball point forward to work with Curry on offense. Their chemistry is sublime, and the two have something of a mind meld in place.
For all that he is underrated by both the stats and awards, he has still made four All-Star teams, two All-NBA teams, and nine All-Defensive teams, and he has won one Defensive Player of the Year award. In all, he has played 949 games and counting for the Warriors, second only to Curry in franchise history.
No. 3: Jimmy Butler
Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry have played precious few games together since the Warriors traded for Butler, but when they did share the court, they made sweet music together. The organization's hope is that the two are able to log even more games together by the end of the upcoming season.
Butler played out a long career prior to landing in San Francisco, however. The 6'6" wing was a multi-time All-Star with the Chicago Bulls, then played briefly in Minnesota and Philadelphia before joining the Miami Heat. Twice he led the Heat to the NBA Finals with teams not thought talented enough to get there; once they were an eight seed. In all, Butler is a five-time All-NBA player and one of the league's better two-way stars of the last 15 years.
No. 2: Chris Paul
We ascend one final level up to the pantheon. Butler, Green, and Klay are all probably top 75 players of all time. Chris Paul and Kevin Durant are top 25 of all time, even if they had very different impacts on the Warriors based on when in their careers they teamed up with Steph.
Paul is one of the greatest point guards of all time, full stop. He was a defensive monster, generating turnovers at legendary levels. On offense he conducted the entire symphony, passing teammates open, pulling up into his silky jumper, and everything in between. He played for a number of strong teams, even reaching the NBA Finals once, but never broke through for a title — including in Golden State, where he played 58 pedestrian games.
In total: 12 All-Star appearances, 11 All-NBA selections, and nine All-Defense teams. This guy had it.
No. 1: Kevin Durant
The greatest player to ever team up with Stephen Curry on the Warriors is Kevin Durant, and it's not particularly close.
Durant is one of the premier shooters in the history of the league, able to score efficiently from all three levels. He is also underrated for his defensive impact, in part because he can play on the wing but has the height of a center — he is absolutely taller than seven feet. Durant has led the league in scoring four different times, made 16 All-Star Games, and been named to 12 All-NBA teams. In 2013-14, he was the MVP.
Durant famously joined the Warriors in 2016, a move made possible by Curry being underpaid on his rookie extension. The two went supernova for the next three years, winning two titles and likely only missing a three-peat because Durant tore his Achilles during the NBA Finals. He may have left on acrimonious terms, but his impact was unimpeachable.
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