Shot Ready

The narrative begins in a solitary high-school gym, where Stephen Curry introduces the concept of being shot ready. He defines this mentality as the product of the grind, the unseen hours of intense, imaginative practice that build a foundation of calm and flow for high-pressure moments. He frames his story in three parts, rookie, leader, and veteran, reflecting the advice he shares with other players. Curry credits his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, for teaching him basketball, and his mother, educator Sonya Curry, for teaching him how to learn, establishing his Christian faith as the bedrock of his life.

As a child, Curry learns the game while his father plays for the Toronto Raptors, spending hours with his younger brother, Seth, mimicking NBA stars. After his family moves back to North Carolina, his confidence wanes against tougher competition. A key regret from this time is his decision not to try out for the varsity team his freshman year of high school out of fear, a choice that fuels a lifelong promise to never shrink from a challenge. The summer after his freshman year, his father convinces him to completely rebuild his shooting mechanics, raising his low release point to compete at higher levels. This grueling three-month process of repetitive form shooting in his backyard, which he calls an example of the J-curve where investment precedes results, is a period of intense struggle and doubt. After a successful college career at Davidson, he enters the 2009 NBA Draft expecting to be chosen by the New York Knicks. Instead, the Golden State Warriors select him with the seventh pick, a move his father and agent had advised against due to the team's dysfunction.

Curry's rookie season is challenging. He joins a team with a rotten culture and a leadership void under coach Don Nelson. His relationship with the team's star, Monta Ellis, is tense, and he faces early setbacks, including being physically outmatched by Kobe Bryant in a preseason game and being benched for a stretch without explanation. During this time, LeBron James advises him to maintain tunnel vision and focus on personal improvement. The team eventually rallies around a shared goal: securing the all-time coaching wins record for Nelson in his final season. In his second year, Curry begins to suffer from a series of severe ankle sprains, starting an 18-month cycle of injury and rehabilitation that threatens his career. Amidst this uncertainty, he marries his girlfriend, Ayesha Alexander. The team hires a new coach, Mark Jackson, and drafts Klay Thompson. In March 2012, the Warriors trade Monta Ellis, after which Jackson tells Curry he fought to keep him, handing him the keys to the team and challenging him to become its leader. Following a second successful ankle surgery, Curry dedicates his recovery to retraining his body's movement patterns.

Now the team's leader, Curry begins to revolutionize basketball by extending his shooting range. During the 2012-2013 season, he sets an NBA record for three-pointers made. The young core of Curry, Klay Thompson, and new draftee Draymond Green builds chemistry, solidified by a key victory against the Miami Heat. In February 2013, Curry scores 54 points at Madison Square Garden, changing the national narrative about his potential. The Warriors make the 2013 playoffs, where Coach Jackson dubs Curry and Thompson the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game. The following season, after the Warriors fire Jackson and hire Steve Kerr, Curry wins his first MVP award and leads the team to the 2015 NBA Finals, where they defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers for the championship.

Motivated by critics who called their title lucky, the Warriors start the 2015-2016 season with a 24-0 record and go on to break the Chicago Bulls' all-time regular-season wins record, finishing 73-9. Curry wins his second MVP, becoming the first unanimous selection in league history. However, the season ends in heartbreak when the Warriors lose a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals, falling to the Cavaliers in a devastating Game 7 at home. That summer, Curry helps recruit superstar Kevin Durant to the team. With Durant, the Warriors win back-to-back championships in 2017 and 2018. During this period, Curry and his wife Ayesha establish their foundation, Eat. Learn. Play., and he launches the Underrated Tour for overlooked high school athletes. The dynasty's run ends in the 2019 Finals against the Toronto Raptors, where Klay Thompson suffers a catastrophic injury and Kevin Durant departs the team, and the Warriors lose in their final game at Oracle Arena.

Curry begins the 2019-2020 season as the oldest player on a depleted roster in the team's new arena, the Chase Center. Four games in, he breaks his hand and misses four months. He returns for one game before the NBA season is suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Warriors, with the league's worst record, are not invited to the NBA bubble, a sealed-off campus in Florida where the league finished its season, leading to an extended offseason Curry calls the lowest point of his career. On December 14, 2021, at Madison Square Garden, he breaks Ray Allen's record for the most career three-pointers. The 2021-2022 team experiences a mid-season slump, prompting the veteran leaders to refocus the group on smaller, bite-sized goals. His fiery leadership in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics helps the Warriors win their fourth championship in eight years, an emotional victory highlighted by his late-night celebration that releases the frustration of the previous three seasons.

In the 2023 playoffs, Curry delivers a rare pre-game speech before a decisive Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings, then scores 50 points to secure the win. He reflects on his longevity, attributing it to meticulous preparation and a commitment to protecting his joy for the game. As a veteran, he embraces his role as a mentor, passing on the team's championship culture. He concludes by viewing his eventual retirement not with dread, but as a gift that motivates him to remain present and fully invested, staying shot ready 'til the end.