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Stephen Curry Talks About Having Been The Ultimate Underdog: “I Was Scrawny, Skinny, Short, But I Knew I Could Shoot”

In 2008, Stephen Curry was one of the most exciting college players.

After his crazy NCAA Tournament performance where he was averaging 32 points per game for Davidson in their Elite Eight run, leading the nation in scoring with 28.6 points per game, Curry was finally putting his name on the NBA lottery pick projections.

But coming from a program that’s not considered elite in the NCAA, Curry had to wait until the 7th pick in his 2009 NBA Draft, and also the reason the Minnesota Timberwolves passed up on him twice. 

The Wolves had the 5th (via Washington) and 6th pick of the first round. On top of that, they were planning to get two guards. When it was their turn, Stephen Curry was still on the board, but the Wolves went for Ricky Rubio (5th) and Jonny Flynn (6th).

In retrospect, it was an awful decision, but at the time, no one saw the incredible career of Curry coming.  At the beginning of his NBA career, his ceiling didn’t appear as high. But Curry himself always had confidence in his abilities. More so, while he knew he was ‘skinny, short and scrawny’ , he always knew he was able to shoot. 

“Well, I kind of knew I was underrated from the jump.

Just because when I started playing basketball when I was nine and I played upon the tenant of the team. And when I tell you like I was the smallest dude on the court. Like I was scrawny, skinny, short, but I knew I could shoot. So I knew I belonged out there in my own head. I didn’t pass the eye test at that point and I heard it wasn’t just my own…

I had a little growth spurt when I got to college. But I always kept that in my DNA. I had to earn everything I got. I had to outwork people, I had to outsmart people on the court. Because I couldn’t just physically dominate you and do little stuff like that.”