What makes Stephen Curry a leader? Ask those who know him best

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry shoots during a game in which he scored 54 points, including 11 3-pointers, and his team still lost to the New York Knicks, at Madison Square Garden in New York, Feb. 27, 2013. In his 16-year NBA career, Curry has developed into one of the extraordinary leaders of his era. (Michelle V. Agins/The New York Times)

By Elise Devlin, Doug Haller and Jayson Jenks / The Athletic

One day at practice, Stephen Curry, who is widely considered the greatest shooter in NBA history, decided to kick a basketball.

No one can remember exactly how or why it happened, but he sent it flying inside the Golden State Warriors’ practice facility. Nick U’Ren, a special assistant to coach Steve Kerr, responded in a way that seemed natural: He tracked the ball like an outfielder in baseball and made the catch.

“We just kept doing that every day until it became a thing,” U’Ren said.

Eventually, they added layers, with relay throws and a 3-pointer at the end. If Curry missed, they would do it all again. Curry has a name for that stage of his workouts: joy.

In his 16-year NBA career, Curry has developed into one of the extraordinary leaders of his era. Not overtly demanding or vocal, he challenges traditional ideas of leadership and provides a framework in which to cajole, rally and inspire. At the heart of his leadership style is one word, repeated by teammates, coaches and staff members: joy.

“He’s going to get his focused work in, but within that he’s going to have fun and enjoy himself, and I think that’s a part of his leadership style,” said Khalid Robinson, who has worked with Golden State for nine years.

The Athletic spoke to coaches, teammates and staff members from Curry’s pro years at Golden State and college days at Davidson. The lessons can help anyone become a better leader.

LACHLAN PENFOLD (head of physical performance): There’s this saying: “Great leadership is about allowing others to shine.” And that’s Steph.

QUINN COOK (guard): We won Game 6 and Game 7 [of the 2018 Western Conference finals], and me and Steph were walking back from the trophy presentation on the court to the locker room, and I was crying. I know it was just going to the finals; usually you cry when you win the finals. But I’d been through a lot to get to that point. He put his arm around me and was like, “Man, it’s good to see that guys really care.”

JIM FOX (Davidson assistant): He wants to be the best player in the world but also wants to be the best teammate in the world.

COOK: We ended up winning the championship that year, and I just remember him and Kevin [Durant] were looking for me like: “Where you at, champ? Where’s the champ?” It was Steph’s third championship, but it was my first, and he was looking for me. There’s a video of him just hyping me up. In that finals I wasn’t in the rotation at all. But he made me feel just as important as anybody. That’s something I’ll never forget.

PENFOLD: I just have memories about how he made me feel: As equal and as special as anyone else in the building.

ANDREW LOVEDALE (Davidson forward): My coach always said: “Be a shining star. Do not be a shooting star.” A shooting star can just go up there and be beautiful and create all the buzz. But then it disappears. What a shining star does is it stays up there and, for a very long period of time, it gives light to everyone. That’s the model for Steph’s leadership.

ALFONZO McKINNIE (forward): When I made the roster for the Warriors, Steph was the first person to congratulate me.

ERIC HOUSEN (team operations): The most amazing thing that happened to me was he mentioned me in his first MVP speech. I was shocked. This was his moment, this is what he earned, and he thinks to thank the equipment guy. That was just ... I don’t even know how to describe the impact that had on my life and the feeling that came over me.

LUKE LOUCKS (assistant coach): I started at Golden State as an intern in the film room and doing player development work, making minimum wage. I was at the very bottom of coaching just trying to get my foot in the door. From Day 1, Steph treated me like a coach on the staff. In that first year, my wife got pregnant with our first child, and Steph found out she was pregnant at the end of the season. He and his wife, Ayesha, bought us strollers and car seats, basically everything you would need for your first baby. They were just sitting in the hallway, and he was like, “Hey, Luke, all these are yours.”

ZAZA PACHULIA (center): My daughter and his daughter played volleyball. They were playing against each other, so Miriam, my daughter, and Riley, his daughter. I couldn’t go because I had to go to an AAU tournament. Steph was at the game so he called me to tell me: “Hey, Miriam just blocked Riley and she’s screaming her mind off!” It’s every day with him.

LOUCKS: I was coaching with Mike Brown in Sacramento and we finally made the playoffs. We play Golden State, which was kind of ironic because we had so many former Golden State coaches on the Sacramento staff. An incredible series. We play them Game 7 at home, and Steph drops 50 points on us. Fifty. After the game, we’re on the court and I congratulate all those guys. I didn’t even know what to say to him. “Good game”? What do you say when someone scores 50 and knocks you out of the playoffs? And he asked me if Stevi, my wife, was in the building, and he knew all of my kids’ names. He drops 50, knocks you out of the playoffs and is like: “Tell your wife I said hello.”

LOVEDALE: My teammates, most of us, when we’ve gotten married, we’ve played pickup in the morning. All the guys are in town, so what better thing to do than to play the game that we all love? So I had my wedding. This was the time when Steph was just coming back from the ankle injury everyone said would destroy his career. And I was having that special day of my life, but did not expect, given what he was going through, that he would show up. We came to play that morning and guess who was there on time?

STEVE ROSSITER (Davidson forward): Steph always went out of his way to just be one of the guys.

STEVE KERR (head coach): You automatically respect the guys who are the best players in the league. Automatic. And Steph is one of the best players of all time. So he already has the respect and then he goes into the locker room and there’s this authentic humility and compassion for his teammates. That’s so rare. I think that’s the key to his leadership. This amazing combination of those two traits.

NICK U’REN (special assistant to the head coach): He’s going to kill you with a smile.

LOUCKS: There’s this uncharacteristic competitive spirit he has that’s contagious around the whole organization.

BOB MYERS (former general manager): He’s the most confident — genuinely confident — athlete I’ve ever been near.

BRUCE FRASER (assistant coach): He’s not bothered by failure or discomfort. He’s fueled by an internal drive that burns without you seeing it.

PENFOLD: He’s just trying to be the greatest he can be and master everything. I think that’s a really important quality of leadership, which is a subtle form of leadership. If everyone else sees this guy, who is already at the top of his game, trying to become better in different ways, then it inspires others to become better.

PACHULIA: Klay Thompson has the most 3s in an NBA game with 14. He beat Steph’s record in Chicago; Steph had 13.

McKINNIE: When he was getting close to it, Steph was pushing us all, saying: “We need to get Klay more shots. Klay needs more shots.”

PACHULIA: In Chicago during that game, Steph passed him the ball, and before Klay even shot the ball, Steph’s hands were in the air because he was just so happy even though it was his record that was being broken. I have that picture. That picture is who Steph is.

PENFOLD: It’s not just about his joy, it’s his joy in others. And that, that to me is the difference. He shows it’s about the team.