For better or worse, depending on who you ask, Warriors superstar Steph Curry has changed the game of basketball with his shooting.
But once-again teammate Andre Iguodala believes Curry has influenced his NBA peers and the sport in another way.
"I think he changed the game," Iguodala said on The Breakfast Club on Friday. "You know, one thing he brought to the game was – you were looked at as soft if you had too much fun playing basketball. People like Charles Barkley, Anthony Mason with the Knicks, Charles Oakley were looked at highly. It was a weakness if you smiling on the court. You had to be mean, like Pat Riley style basketball with New York.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
"But when Steph Curry came through, he started laughing, he started shimmying and he's shooting half-court. Now you’re seeing this trickle-down effect, you see Trae Young, you see Dame Lillard, you see Luka Doncic. These dudes are shooting step-backs from half-court and everybody goes crazy. Kind of like, you can have joy now, you can laugh and you can play. That’s like a real generational effect that comes from one dude and it's something special. Like I said, you got to give people their flowers while they're here. He revolutionized the game."
Curry's shooting and happiness on the court go hand-in-hand, and that can be seen every single time he laces them up for the Warriors.
Back in May, on an episode of his "Pull Up" podcast, Portland Trail Blazers star C.J. McCollum explained why Curry has revolutionized basketball in good and bad ways.
"He has changed the game for the better, but has also changed the game for the worse," McCollum said. "A lot of kids are trying to replicate some of the things that he’s doing, and some of that stuff isn’t virtually possible for kids. You have to get the reps in and really practice your game.
Golden State Warriors
"He’s just a wizard. He’s someone you have to look for at all times. He does things and you literally think, ‘How is that possible?' "
RELATED: Examining Warriors' options for final roster spot
Curry came into the NBA in 2009 with plenty of doubters and battled ankle injuries for the first few seasons of his career. A dozen years later, he will go down as one of the most influential players in league history. Old school hoopers might not like what he has done to the game, but there's no question that the younger generation has taken after the two-time NBA MVP and three-time NBA champion.