National Basketball Association

Dell Curry explains why Steph Curry's celebrations aren't disrespectful to opponents

Published Jun. 1, 2016 4:26 p.m. ET

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Andrew Lynch

If you're not a Golden State Warriors fan, the defending champions might rub you the wrong way.

They're very good at what they do; there's no denying that. But all of the celebrating and the emoting and the popping of jerseys -- it's not exactly the behavior we've come to expect from your typical champions.

But according to Steph Curry's dad Dell, a former NBA player in his own right, it wasn't always this way with the reigning MVP. When Steph was growing up, the focus was on playing "the right way." It's only as a professional that the younger Curry has taken to talking a little bit of trash.

The older Curry, who joined Colin Cowherd on the Herd Wednesday morning, also made it clear that while Curry might be more vocal these days, it's not about disrespecting the opponent.

Two important things here:

First, get that "playing the game the right way" talk all the way out of here. Unless you're talking about turning into the best basketball player you can be, it hardly matters. These are games. We get super-invested in them because we're crazy people, but that doesn't change the fact that these are games. If a guy does something amazing, he should celebrate as much (or as little) as he wants. Don't like it? Yeah, it's a cliche response, but stop him. Do something about it. Until then, you have no right to take offense.

Second, Steph's trash-talk and jersey-popping is absolutely about the other team and not just his own success. Granted, the genesis for those celebrations is Curry or his teammates doing something well. But Curry's arguably the most arrogant player we've seen since Michael Jordan. He knows exactly what he's doing when he engages in psychological warfare with his opponents. By crowing at the top of his lungs, Curry's issuing a warning: the tidal wave of 3s and backbreaking plays is coming. You better prepare yourself.

Few teams have the mental fortitude to stand in the face of such a looming threat. It's a powerful tool in Curry's arsenal, regardless of what his dad might say in his defense.

After all, what else would you expect a Curry family member to say?

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