In an age of entitled superstars, Stephen Curry remains an anomaly.

The Golden State Warriors star did not take umbrage at his team’s front office for passing up on trades for Lauri Markkanen and Paul George last summer, or even their decision to let Klay Thompson walk to get under the NBA’s luxury-tax second apron. 

Throughout the process, Curry remained positive and did not stop believing in his organization. Midway through the 2024-25 season, the Warriors rewarded his patience by acquiring Jimmy Butler III. The move worked wonders as Golden State finished the season on a 23-8 run and beat the second-seeded Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs.

An untimely injury to Curry meant a second-round exit to the Minnesota Timberwolves, but it also exposed the many holes in Golden State’s roster. Any other superstar, especially one with Curry’s cachet, would have likely put his franchise on blast for not doing enough. But Curry, being Curry, did no such thing. 

In his season-ending news conference, Curry said, “All we wanted was a chance,” which his front office provided with the Butler trade. 

“If you look at the sample size of the last two months, when we had our minds focused on the goal, we were playing high-level basketball,” Curry said. “Does that mean we can win a championship? We hope so. That’s all you really want is a fighter’s chance.”