As Steph Curry nears Ray Allen's record for most 3-pointers in NBA history, the Warriors star's peers are reflecting on the decorated legacy he has produced since coming to the NBA in 2009.
LeBron James, while speaking with reporters on Friday night, took two minutes out of his media availability to praise Curry, using his trademark "we're all witnesses" phrase in regards to Steph's brilliance.
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"First of all, the fact that the other night, when they played, we were really tracking to see if he could make 16 threes - it just lets you know how freaking amazing he is," James said. (H/T Dave McMenamin via Michael Corvo). "If there's one guy in NBA history that can make 16 threes, it's Steph Curry. I'm literally sitting there doing the calculations in my head. I'm like '16. OK I know he's made 12 a few times. Well if there's someone that can do it, it'll be him.' That just lets you know how incredible he is.
"You can't even jinx it, cause it's gonna happen. It may not happen tomorrow ... But it's going to happen. We're all witnesses to what Steph Curry has done in his career and the way that he's changed the game. He's a once-in-a-lifetime basketball player."
Steph and LeBron have become the most recognizable faces in the NBA, especially after four consecutive years of facing off in the NBA Finals.
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Golden State Warriors
Steph is 10 3-pointers shy of overtaking Allen's 2,973 going into Saturday night's game in Philadelphia against the 76ers.
Expect a heaping of sentiments like the one expressed by James on Friday night once Curry breaks the record. Allen himself even has said he will not try heckling Steph as he approaches the record, and has spoken with Curry throughout the process.
"I spoke with the people at the Warriors and I actually spoke with Steph a little bit, trying to help him navigate this whole process,” Allen said on the Dan Patrick Show on Friday. “It's an exciting time for him and I tried to give him what I was dealing with, you know, going into the game and everything that led up to it.
“And I was fortunate because I broke the record in Boston against the [Los Angeles] Lakers with Reggie in the building, so it's only appropriate that I find my way there. I don't know where it's going to be so I got to kind of watch this thing. I don't know if you know, but I'm coaching myself, Gulliver Prep here in Miami and we have games as well. So it's a tricky situation for me trying to navigate what it is that happens with them."
If Steph is unable to surpass the mark on Saturday night, his next chance will come Monday night in Indianapolis against the Pacers. The Warriors reportedly are considering resting Steph for that game in Indiana, but that likely will depend on what happens Saturday night in the City of Brotherly Love.