Stephen Curry has never been one to boast about personal accolades, with the sharpshooter’s game clearly speaking for itself, particularly this season.
Curry concluded the 2020-21 regular season with a game-high 46-point performance in the Warriors’ win over the Grizzlies, helping the squad earn eighth place in the Western Conference, and a spot in the Play-In Tournament that will determine the final two playoff berths. Curry’s productivity earned him the top scoring average this season (32.0 ppg), subsequently edging out the Washington Wizards' Bradley Beal who finished at 31.3 ppg, becoming the oldest player to win the league scoring crown since Michael Jordan, at 35 (1997-98).
Though Curry is five years removed from his first scoring title, which he earned in 2016-17 during his second and unanimous MVP season, the 12-year NBA veteran continues to push the limits and strive for his best.
“The work that goes into it, it pays off. And it’s something that I really, really rely on especially at this point in my career. As the years go on, that is the difference-maker for me….and I really value that work,” Curry shared.
Along with leading the league in scoring, Curry also splashed the most made 3-pointers of the season (337). The guard totaled a season sum of 2,015 points, marking the second time in his career that he's scored at least 2,000 points in a single season. Curry joined Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry and Chris Mullin as the only Warriors to have multiple 2,000-point seasons. Additionally, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, Curry needed the fewest amount of games (63) to score at least 2,000 points.
Curry’s stellar scoring output resulted in the KIA Western Conference Player of the Month recognition, for both April and May, with the guard becoming the first Warrior in franchise history to earn the award in consecutive months. From April 1 through May 16, Curry averaged 37.1 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists per game while shooting 43.7 percent from beyond the arc, and is now the Warriors franchise leader in career monthly honors (9).
It has been quite a year for Curry who, earlier this season also claimed the top spot on the Warriors’ all-time scoring and assists list, while also passing Reggie Miller with the second-most 3-pointers in league history. With this season’s scoring title, Curry joins the elite company of Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players in NBA history with multiple scoring titles, MVPs and championships.
There is no stopping Curry’s flurry and the Warriors as the squad head to Los Angeles for a Play-In Tournament showdown against the Lakers on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN).