The Steph Curry era is officially over, according to NBA executives.
The results of the league’s annual general manager survey came out Tuesday, and, for the first time in 10 seasons, Warriors star Steph Curry was not voted the best point guard in the NBA. That distinction went to the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic, earning 37% of the vote.
Curry didn’t even take silver in this contest. That honor that went to Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who finished with a 30% vote share. The Dubs guard ended up third with 23% of the vote.
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All things considered, it’s not a terrible place to be as a 36-year-old who wasn’t expected to last this long in the league, let alone become one of basketball’s all-time greats, because of his early-career ankle injuries. There’s also the fact that the players who finished above him are the best of the league’s next generation. Gilgeous-Alexander and Doncic finished second and third, respectively, in MVP voting last season, and neither guy is even 27 yet. In the highly unlikely event that Curry is bothered by this, he can take consolation in how a 37% win would be good for the second-lowest vote share victory during his winning streak.
Curry’s stretch of positional dominance in this survey began just before the 2015-16 season, snapping the three-year streak that Chris Paul had started with 55% of the vote. From then on, the Golden State star would take the best point guard crown with at least a 57% vote share every year except for the 2020-21 season, where he won with 30% — Damian Lillard (22%) and future winner Luka Doncic (19%) finished second and third, respectively.
Barring an otherworldly run this season — which, since it’s No. 30, can’t entirely be ruled out — Curry’s reign as the NBA’s best point guard in the minds of league executives is probably over. But barring an uncharacteristic drop in form, his reign as one of the league’s best players in terms of on-court production will continue, and that’s what matters the most.
