Steph Curry has long been regarded as the best point guard of his time, but his former teammate has a different opinion.
According to Nick Young, the Dallas Mavericks’ Kyrie Irving may have eclipsed the four-time NBA champion.
Fans and members of the media never considered Irving a high-caliber player, but his fellow players often praise his offensive capabilities, especially his ball handling and finishing abilities. His peers in the NBA rank him significantly higher among the league’s premier players.
A former NBA champion himself, Young challenged the apparent status quo that placed Curry over Irving in all-time player rankings, likening the gap between the two to that of NBA legends Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
“Kyrie is the Kobe to Curry’s MJ. People [are] scared to say he’s better,” Young said on X.
Jordan is a six-time NBA champion, a six-time NBA Finals MVP, a five-time regular-season MVP, and a 14-time All-Star, among other recognitions. The late Bryant, who was drafted in the NBA 12 years after “His Airness,” patterned his game after the Chicago Bulls legend and challenged and exceeded his achievements.
“The Black Mamba” comes second to Jordan as a five-time NBA champion, a two-time Finals MVP, and a one-time regular-season MVP; however, he is ahead of Jordan in All-Star appearances with 18 and has four All-Star MVP awards compared to MJ’s three. This is why many fans include Kobe in the GOAT conversation with Jordan.
While Jordan and Bryant can be closely compared with each other, likening Curry and Irving to them seems off the mark.
Steph Curry fans blast Nick Young for suggesting Kyrie Irving is better
Many fans vehemently disagreed with Nick Young’s take on Steph Curry and Kyrie Irving, and they made themselves heard in the comments section of his post.
Most of them asserted that there shouldn’t have been a debate, as they felt there shouldn’t have been a comparison between the two anyway.
“Kyrie has better handles and finishing moves than Steph Curry, and that’s it. Curry is a much better player than Kyrie, and that’s not a shot at Kyrie,” one fan commented.
“Kyrie [is] the only player in history to have zero achievements or individual accolades and have a superstar-level reputation,” another one chimed in.
One fan specifically disagreed with Young’s remark that fans are “scared” to rank Btyant over Jordan. “Scared? I think people just think MJ is better, LOL,” the post said.
Curry and Irving have a significant gap when it comes to their achievements, making Young’s Jordan-Bryant analogy questionable. Curry has four NBA titles, 10 All-Star selections, and two regular-season MVP awards compared to Irving’s sole championship in 2016 and eight All-Star selections. And unlike Curry, who’s most of the time the number-one go-to guy on the court, Irving mostly played sidekick to superstars like LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Kevin Durant.
While both Curry and Irving are great players in their own right, Young’s Jordan-Bryant analogy with them doesn’t seem accurate for many.
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