National Basketball Association

Warriors coach Steve Kerr reveals how critics motivate Stephen Curry

Published Jun. 2, 2016 3:30 p.m. ET

Andrew Lynch

Most NBA players have the same primary motivations. They want to play basketball, of course. They want to make a lot of money. They want to make their friends, families and coach proud. And they want to win championships.

Part of what separates the superstars from your average player is what drives them beyond those basic concerns. Often, it's about proving the haters wrong -- and that's certainly the case for Stephen Curry.

During the Warriors' media availability before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Golden State coach Steve Kerr revealed that the reigning two-time MVP sees all of the criticism out there from the media, commentators and former players (Hey there, Chuck!), and that those comments in turn drive Curry.

Via CSN Bay Area:

“He doesn’t have to say anything,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “He does his talking through his play.

“But he definitely is motivated by things that people say about him or things that he reads or anything like that.”

You know who that sounds like?

A former teammate of Kerr's, naturally.

Yeah, that's right. Curry's taking a page out of Michael Jordan's book. Jordan is perhaps the fiercest competitor in sports history; he could find a slight in a compliment, then use that perceived criticism as motivation to destroy you.

Although he covers it up with his happy-go-lucky demeanor and family-friendly persona, make no mistake: Curry is cut from the same cloth. He might be "humble" in the spiritual sense of the word, but there's nothing humble about Curry's approach on the court.

A humble basketball player wouldn't celebrate the way Curry does, even if his antics aren't aimed at the opponent. And a humble basketball player definitely wouldn't take some of the shots that Curry does from 30-plus feet out.

That kind of confidence in one's game takes a healthy amount of arrogance, and that's fine. Without it, you don't become the best player in the game.

Just ask His Airness.