The greatest shooter of all time

It’s been a while. Since my last post, many things have taken place in which I was unable to take the time to read. After a long hiatus and finding myself with lots of time after graduating, I have returned with the book Golden by Marcus Thompson II. Marcus is a sports columnist that has followed the Golden State Warriors for ten seasons, giving him a lot more insight than others might have, which was the main draw to this book for myself. Given the timing of the Warriors making it to the NBA Finals once more after beating the Dallas Mavericks in 5, and their unrivaled dominance throughout the last decade, I thought it would be a good book to start chipping away at my massive backlog.

Golden is really the first book (at least that I have seen) to provide a deeper look into Wardell Stephen Curry up to the 2017 season. It covers his childhood, his uprising in Charlotte growing up in a Christian household, having an NBA father, to his college days. The book also highlights his rookie year, his MVP seasons and all of the adversaries that he faced throughout, including his many ankle injuries. Marcus does an excellent job pulling sources together to measure the impact of Curry, outside of the three point shooting that he has brought to the league. The detail of his game is written artfully by Marcus, in a way that helped me digest the game at a deeper level than I already have.

I greatly admire Curry, not only as a basketball prodigy but also as a human. He certainly seems to be as great of a role model as the media portrays him to be. His commitment to his family, his grounded nature from his Christian faith and his selflessness on and off the court are attributes that I wish to model my life after. Reading about his work ethic in the off-seasons, his critical nature of his own ability, and his championship mindset made me reflect on myself and suggested ways I could work upon myself.

However in terms of the book, I was disappointed to read that it didn’t really cover anything groundbreaking. Most of what he writes about can be seen as film or accessed through interviews. While I was ok with this, I can imagine anyone who wasn’t trying to relive this time period might find it to be redundant and unnecessary. I am personally not a fan of sport authors writing out each play when a quick Youtube search can visualize the game better than any piece of writing. The game speaks for itself, and often times it felt that Marcus was trying too hard to portray the game a certain way. In addition, each historical series is covered in repeated detail at least three times, often out of chronological order, making it tough to push through certain chapters.

While I greatly enjoyed reading about Curry’s battles with certain superstars, mental fortitude, and his training regiment, this book didn’t quite hit the mark with me. The latter half felt like a chore to push through, and felt that I was finding very occasional gems. I feel grateful to have grown up watching his greatness and wonder where his legacy will fall amongst the Mount Rushmore of NBA greats.

Edit (6/18/22): As I revisit this review, the Golden State Warriors have won another championship and Curry has his first Finals MVP, solidifying his legacy as one of the greatest to ever play the game. To pay homage to his greatness, I have attached a media link below, just click on the image to witness greatness.

Overall Rating: 5/10