Stephen Curry, Golden State’s golden boy, is living in the moment

Stephen Curry, Golden State’s superstar, has conquered the basketball world and is making the most of his situation. But there is much more work to do.

Imagine being Golden State Warriors superstar, Stephen Curry, thirty years old and having nothing left to prove, no one to answer to outside of God and family. You’ve conquered your chosen profession, but not in a way that spurs jealousy or acrimony. You’ve conquered your sport in a way that’s never been done before.

You’ve started a revolution from beyond the arc. 

It wasn’t due to physical size or unnatural speed or quickness. You weren’t anointed as a Chosen One from the time you first stepped foot on the court. People doubted you, until you were universally acclaimed.

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You’re highly visible in the sports world, but the President is not tweeting insults at you. No one is calling you out for depending on the efforts of your teammates. No one questions your heart.

Your only supposed fault is causing kids at the local gym to jack up low-percentage 25-footers, in a desperate attempt to emulate you.

On the court, you have an edge, a competitiveness that would be called arrogance if not for the jaw-dropping skills you display on a regular basis. You’ve earned that cockiness.

An average player who makes a half-court shot would be called lucky; when you take that shot, fans are more shocked if you don’t make it.

All this success and adulation could go to your head, but you remain humble and respectful. You’re the focal point, but you know you can’t do it alone.

You appreciate that every player, coach, referee, sportscaster, stadium worker, and fan has hopes and dreams of their own, and your role in this world is to make their lives a little bit better through sport. 

Instead of seeing this attention and adulation as a burden, you see it as a calling, an opportunity to do good, not to be squandered. For there is no greater reward than to be in service to others.

You don’t “stay out of trouble” because trouble was never something to get into. You meet your future wife, a no-doubter, when you’re both teens. With two girls and now a baby boy, the Curry family at once keeps you grounded, and entertained.

Instagram don’t lie.

With strong women in your life such as your mother and your wife, you see that half the population suffers from inequalities. You can’t solve the world’s problems, but you can run a basketball camp for 200 girls, so you do. You can write an article on how your life has been positively influenced by women, so you do.

Of course you’re not the only athlete who gives back. LeBron James opened an amazing school for underprivileged kids in Akron, Ohio. Kevin Durant is helping low-income youths. There are many others who understand the responsibility that comes with privilege.

Maybe, just maybe, through these collective efforts you can help make the world a better place and lift people’s spirits.

In all facets of your life, more is coming from you, as there is much more work left to do. You’ve exceeded all expectations but people hope you have more to give. You live in this moment but your goal is to make this moment last, for your family’s sake, for everyone’s sake.