Mark Jackson Gave Steph Curry ‘a Little Bit of Juice Toward It'

Stephen Curry did not reach the top of the NBA on a solo hike, even though he is most responsible for the two MVP trophies, the two championship rings, the global adulation and the recasting of a once rudderless franchise.

Looking back upon his pro career, Curry concedes he had plenty of company along the way and is quick to point out those who helped guide his path.

That includes Mark Jackson.

Yes, that Mark Jackson. The current TV analyst and former Warriors coach often criticized as if he were a failure in the Bay Area.

As current Warriors coach Steve Kerr often points out, it was during Jackson's three years on the job that the franchise began to generate the momentum that took it to a championship one year after he was sent packing.

But not before making an impression on Curry.

[PODCAST: Monte Poole's conversation with Steph Curry]

"Mark Jackson, specifically . . . in my fourth or fifth year in the league, I had a talk with him," Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area. "And, basically, he said, ‘You can be an all-time great if you really put your mind to it. The opportunity is yours.'

"You need that little challenge to go after it. I assume he believed it. I did. But when you have somebody that can breathe that confidence into you, it's a special feeling."

Jackson was Curry's third coach with the Warriors. Don Nelson, instrumental in drafting Curry, was the coach for his rookie season. Keith Smart, a former Nelson assistant, took over in Curry's second season. Jackson arrived in 2011-12, hired by CEO Joe Lacob.

Lacob, who brought Jerry West on board a month earlier, wanted to make a splash while giving the Warriors a credibility boost. Moreover, as a point guard during his 17-year NBA career, Jackson was a natural leader and someone who surely could aid in the development of Curry, who was 23 years old at the time.

"He has an understanding of what it takes to play on this level, how hard it is and the stresses that go into it," Curry said. "Also, he recognizes the subtle differences between your average guy and the greats. He might have seen something that I may not have at the time. But he kind of gave me a little bit of juice toward it."

It was in 2013-14, his third season under Jackson, that Curry became an All-Star for the first time, voted in as a starter. Jackson was fired after that season and replaced by Kerr, who became Curry's fourth NBA coach in six years.

It was after Kerr's first season that Curry won his first MVP award, as well as leading the Warriors to their first NBA title in 40 years. He has since won another, in 2016, while the Warriors last season added a second championship.

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