Despite his age, Steph Curry was still able to top Anthony Edwards for the distinction of being the “Best American Player” for the 2025-26 NBA season. With Jayson Tatum recovering from a torn Achilles injury, the main choices were Curry and Edwards.
ESPN’s Tim Bontemps surveyed 20 executives, coaches and scouts for their thoughts on the upcoming season. One of the questions was “Who is best American player right now?” and Curry edged out Edwards 11-8. Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers received the other vote.
“Before Tatum’s injury, this question wouldn’t have been on the survey at all, given the Boston Celtics superstar wing was coming off First-Team All-NBA honors for a fourth consecutive season and won the NBA title a year ago. But with Tatum out of the mix, the honor instead was given to Curry, despite him being 37 years old and entering his 17th NBA season,” Bontemps wrote on September 22.
One Eastern Conference scout even told Bontemps that Curry is still the scariest player in the NBA. However, statistically speaking, Edwards had a better season than Curry in terms of points per game at 27.6 compared to 24.5.
The Minnesota Timberwolves also eliminated the Golden State Warriors in five games in the Western Conference semifinals, though Curry missed the last four games due to injury.
NBA Champion Opens Up on Steph Curry’s Impact
Former Golden State Warriors forward and one-time NBA champion Matt Barnes opened up on the impact Steph Curry has had in basketball. Barnes played his final season with Curry, but it was enough for him to asses how the sharpshooter changed the game forever.
“I feel like Steph was a gift and a curse to this game because everyone, although Steph did it, thinks they could do it. You know what I mean? And he changed it completely. Not even just the NBA, but the way basketball is played, period,” Barnes said on the September 3 episode of the “Big Boys’ Hangout” podcast.
There’s no doubt that Curry is the greatest shooter the world has ever seen. He holds a ton of NBA records like the only player with 4,000 career 3-point shots made, the only player to make 400 3-point shots in a season and the player with the most games with 10+ 3-pointers made with 27, among others.
Barnes also gave a nod to the other half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, who helped establish the Warriors dynasty. Hitting a 3-point shot is now one of the most important skill in basketball, not just in the NBA.
Tyrese Haliburton Praises Steph Curry
On the day and age where “hating” is a thing on social media, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers had a different take on Steph Curry as a person. Haliburton had nothing but compliments for the four-time NBA MVP in an appearance on the “Old Man and the Three” podcast on September 18.
“Steph is the greatest human being I’ve met in basketball. I’ve never met a better person. The thing about it is I’ve never heard anybody say anything bad about Steph as a human being. He is so unbelievable, the way he can remember people. He cares about people. I mean, I just can’t say enough good things about Steph,” Haliburton said.
Haliburton and Curry played together for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics, taking home the gold medal after beating France in the final.
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