On June 25, 2009, Steph Curry had a handshake he'll never forget.
The Warriors drafted the future two-time MVP with the No. 7 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft, when Curry stepped up to the Radio City Music Hall stage, donning a hat emblazoned with Golden State's logo for the first time. After hugging his father, 16-year NBA veteran Dell Curry, Steph Curry walked to shake hands with the man who had just read his name: Then-NBA commissioner David Stern.
Stern died Wednesday at the age of 77 as a result of a brain hemorrhage he suffered last month, and Curry paid tribute to the former commissioner hours after his passing.
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Parts of Curry's first five seasons occurred during Stern's 30-year reign as NBA commissioner before Stern stepped down and was succeeded by current commissioner Adam Silver on Feb. 1, 2014. The 3-point revolution was underway by the time Stern retired, but Curry accelerated it with his ascent to superstardom in the seasons after Silver took over.
During Stern's final season as commissioner in 2013-14, NBA teams averaged 21.5 3-pointers per game. Now, teams are taking 33.7 per game, according to Basketball-Reference. Stern told Newsday in November that he was a fan of the NBA's increased 3-point shooting.
“I love it,” he told Neil Best. “The exploitation of the 3-point shot, for example, is incredible to me, because it just demonstrates how skilled our players have become. The 3-point line is no longer a challenge. In fact, we have guys that are shooting 40 percent from three feet beyond that line, and it has changed the game and will continue to change the game, I think.”
Golden State Warriors
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Curry (43.5 percent) surely was one of those shooters Stern referred to. While he probably didn't know at the time that Curry would change the sport he oversaw, Stern seemed to appreciate that the Warriors star did.
Just as Curry appreciated their handshake over a decade ago.