With two MVP awards -- one by unanimous vote -- and three NBA championships among his possessions, Stephen Curry has enough confirmation of his greatness.
Well, almost enough.
Longtime Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala feels the need to provide more affirmation and respect, offering his opinion on where Curry stands not just with contemporaries, but also among the best to ever play the game.
Which is, among the thousands of point guards to suit up in the NBA, No. 2 – even if such respect isn't universally given.
"He won't ever get (respect)," Iguodala told reporters Saturday in Philadelphia, after a 120-117 victory over the 76ers. "It's just what it is sometimes.
"But when you sit down have serious conversations ... he's the second-best point guard ever."
Sports
The best point guard in NBA history, according to Iguodala – and many others – is Lakers legend Magic Johnson, a five-time NBA champion and easy first-ballot Hall of Famer.
"Every day, he texts me when I wake up in the morning and tells me that same comment," Curry said of Iguodala. "I got some work to do to get to No. 1, apparently."
For the sake argument, Johnson was a revolutionary, a 6-foot-9 point guard leading the Showtime Lakers. He had an abundance of pizzazz and charisma and even now there has been no one quite like him.
[RELATED: Cousins honors Stephon Clark on shoes during Dubs-Sixers]
Nor has there been anyone quite like Curry. He, too, is a revolutionary – but with a broader sweep. He fits the physical profile of a natural point guard, but shoots 3-pointers in a way that has had a profound effect on the game played at all levels.
"He's still underrated," Iguodala said. "I still think he doesn't really get the respect he deserves. Guys think like you know he uses a lot of screens and guys think they can draw mismatches with him defensively. But he's a real problem."
