Golden State Warriors

Is Steph Curry 'most revered' Bay Area athlete ever?

Updated Mar. 3, 2023 11:15 a.m. ET

Steph Curry is one of the most admired athletes hailing from the San Francisco Bay Area — but is he the most beloved?

ESPN's Marc J. Spears said as much about the Golden State Warriors superstar this week.

"I think he's one of the people like Larry Bird, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki that plays an entire career," Spears said. "I think even when Curry is in his last days, there'll be a lot of tears from Warriors fans. Like he is, to me, the most revered athlete ever [in the Bay Area], which is saying a lot for a place that has Joe Montana and Jerry Rice and Ricky Henderson. He's the greatest ever. And so I see him finishing his career there. I see him living in the Bay, and I see him impacting Oakland for many decades to come."

Curry has delivered four NBA titles to the Bay Area in his 13-year career with the Warriors. He is an eight-time All-Star and was named both Western Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP this past season.

That said, the jury is still out on whether the 34-year-old NBA superstar has surpassed the San Francisco 49ers' Rice and Montana, or San Francisco Giants stars Willie Mays and Barry Bonds.

According to Shannon Sharpe, it's a pretty straightforward argument, and Curry is the only right answer.

"[Curry] brought four titles to the Bay — same number as Joe [Montana]," Sharpe said on "Undisputed."

"Jerry [Rice brought] three. … The way [Curry has] revolutionized game of basketball with that 3-point shot. … I'm gonna agree — I do believe he is the most beloved sports figure in the Bay Area now."

On the other hand, Skip Bayless said Curry might have Oakland on lock, but he isn't as convinced about the Bay Area as a whole.

"If we wanna go beloved defined as lovable … as in personality lovable … I'll give [Curry] that," Bayless said. "I have a pretty good feel for the Bay Area, and it's a huge area now. If we're just talking about Oakland, I'm gonna give you Steph on the East Bay side. … In the end, the Bay Area is a football area — it just is. It's like most places: When push comes to shove, football over basketball or even over baseball.

"[Joe Montana] went to four Super Bowls, and he won all four of them, so it was sort of [Michael] Jordan-esque. He went 4-0. It's hard to top that."

Curry, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, picked up two NBA scoring titles and back-to-back NBA MVP titles en route delivering those four championships to Golden State.

Curry has previously said that he wants to stay in the Bay Area once his illustrious playing career ends.

"I can honestly say how special this place is," Curry said in August.

"Honestly, I don't want to leave, ever."