A year ago, my teammates suddenly found that Stephen Curry had become very different from before. At that time, the Golden State Warriors were in trouble, and the team's record fluctuated after Durant's knee injury. People began to doubt whether they had a chance to reach the finals for three consecutive years.

Durant's injury examination showed that he would not miss the playoffs, which also made his teammates breathe a sigh of relief. But even so, there is no guarantee that the superstar will return to his best condition in a short time after his return from injury. You know, kevin durant was a heavyweight player they signed last summer. For such a team that is determined to win the championship, the current situation is really not optimistic.

At that time, the Warriors' players began to find that Curry and veteran Iguodala, as captains, took the initiative to change their leadership style. This change comes from behind the scenes. Before each training class, you can see the endless stream of teammates sweating like rain, but no one knows how long Curry has been practicing.

"You could only see him training hard and seeing him become more aggressive," david west recalled. "Even if it's only the training of 5V5, he will be full of firepower, and everyone will stare at him in disbelief and think,' This guy is serious!' He did the same in shooting training. He urged everyone not to stop. In that crisis, he talked a lot and always told everyone clearly that we need to maintain a sense of urgency, especially after the lack of such a strong teammate as Durant. "

Durant naturally noticed the changes in the library.

"Yes, I saw it all," Durant said. "As a team leader and one of the best players in the league, when you see a teammate around you fall, you will feel that you should make up for this temporary vacancy ... His spirit has been completely concentrated on the court, and this state has continued until the moment of winning the championship. It was his nervous nerves that won us the championship. "

In people's eyes, Curry is always carefree, not eloquent, and does not like preaching. After Durant was injured, he didn't want to subvert the way he communicated with his teammates, because he was worried that he would suddenly become serious, which would make his teammates feel unreal and lead to unexpected results. So practice is the best way for him to convey information to his teammates.

"I always have to learn when to stand up and say something," Curry said. "I am not considered to be the best player in this team. I want to take on the mission of being a leader. In many ways, I am still growing. But I know how to train hard and I am willing to use it instead of me. "

As the benchmark of the champion team, Curry made it clear at the Media Day in September that he would not attend the visit to the White House when the team went to DC this week. Curry often publicly expressed his disgust at President Trump's words, but the team still voted whether to visit Trump's official residence.

"I don't want to go," Curry said at the time. "I really don't want to go. It's not just about going to the White House. Even if we meet, the conversation will be short. "

For Curry, his leadership has spread all over the world through the broadcast signal of the game, and his status will inevitably bring him mixed voices. Shortly thereafter, Trump responded on Twitter that the White House invitation to the Warriors had been withdrawn.

In the next few months, Curry was not idle. He and former President Barack Obama have been discussing team travel plans to replace the White House trip. From sports to international affairs, they talk about everything in short messages from time to time. During this period, they casually talked about the possibility of a team visiting Obama, but it was quickly rejected because it was more like opening a valve to publicize personal political tendencies.

No one wants this operation to have too much political content. Many times, out of respect for the government at that time, Obama preferred to keep a low profile.

Finally, Curry and the Warriors decided not to attend the White House championship celebration, but to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture, where they were greeted by a group of local students from Durant's hometown of Hitt plesent, Maryland.

When the famous team leaders in the league flash in your mind, the following faces usually appear unconsciously: Kobe, lebron james, chris paul, kevin garnett ... Even if it is refined to the Warriors, Meng Qing is also the team spiritual leader in people's cognition.

However, don't be fooled by Curry's quiet personality.

"There are many leaders with different styles in our dressing room," Curry said. "We are almost comprehensive, so it also gives me a chance to stick to my favorite leadership style. I don't need to be too outgoing, some of us are taking the job. My task is to set an example. As long as I am loyal to my heart, my teammates will naturally give you respect. "

Something special. Curry tried to imitate the leadership demonstrated by coach davidson college at that time.

"Coach Bob Mike killop is my best example when I explore how to lead a team," Curry said. "He never scolds us loudly, but his message is in harmony with his tone, so that you can clearly perceive his thoughts and do it correctly. He has the best communication opportunities and ways, which I want to follow. "

In the preseason this season, the Warriors lost the first two games, and the third game was the game between China and the Timberwolves. Before the game, he went to the center of the locker room and said a word to the whole team, which completely woke everyone up. "Brother, in the preseason, he stood in front of us and talked," West said. "He knows that our energy has not yet entered the state, and these words are exactly what we need to hear. After he said this, we beat our opponent by 32 points in the game. "

People think that Green is the most inspiring member of the Warriors, and the effectiveness of his face-to-face and energetic preaching style has been confirmed by many facts. When asked if Curry, a devout Christian teammate who is innocent in most people's eyes, would also curse and vent his anger, Green just smiled and said, "You have to ask him that."

Curry admits that sometimes he can't control his expression.

"Getting angry has never been my deliberate strategy to express my attitude, but sometimes when I stand on the court and participate in the competition, there will always be some friction and I will be supervised by all sides," he said. "This sport cannot avoid fierce confrontation. I've been fired twice. I knew I had to make a smarter choice in this situation, but the fact happened.

"For me, what is more important is how I respond. People know who I am and what I stand for, but then again, nobody is perfect, and I don't think it matters much. If you want to see my swearing scene and read my court language through lips, you can definitely find it. My mother found it anyway. "

People's talk will eventually return to his ankle, which has become a time bomb in Curry's arms.

/kloc-in early February, Curry sprained his right ankle, and then missed more than three weeks of games, including the much-anticipated "home" battle of Charlotte. Even so, he is still contributing to the team.

When the point guard was in short supply, the Warriors transferred a1.95438+0m guard quinn cook from the Santa Cruz Warriors of the Development League. Curry's home is in Charlotte, and he appeared in protective boots, which attracted the disappointment of the audience: there was no regular opening dance before the game, and there was no sensational long-range shooting.

But all this is extraordinary for Cook. He is not only a fireman of a great team, you know, this is his debut in the NBA. On the one hand, he felt nervous and anxious about this unexpected opportunity. At the same time, as a "body double" who took his place in front of the superstar's house, he was worried that he had screwed everything up.

In order to surprise Cook, Curry specially contacted him and told him that he would meet him one hour before the game started.

"In the dressing room, he really appeared in front of me, explained a few tactics to me, and raised a few points for attention," Cook said. "In that game, my playing time was limited. He was very patient and asked me to sit next to him. He did the same at halftime. It happens every time he plays against the team. He told me the problems he saw and the ways to adjust them.

"Many patients are willing to leave the team and focus on recuperation, but he is willing to stand with the team. Especially when I am most afraid, his existence means a lot to me. "

When asked why Curry made such achievements, Coach Cole said: "I think it depends on his hard training and humility off the court. He is a sunny man and a very good player. Obviously, he is a superstar in everyone's eyes, but sometimes he looks like 12 on the team. I will point out his problem in the video conference, and he doesn't mind. This is Stephen, who will always be the benchmark for the players. He is not only a good man, but also an excellent teammate. The players respect him very much. This is what a captain should look like. "

Some of Curry's competitors will regard his "glorious image" as a weakness, and sometimes this influence will even extend beyond the stadium. After 165438+ 10/9 defeated the Nets, Curry was accidentally involved in a controversial event.

Superstars are often reluctant to return to the stadium after the game, because fans who flock to ask for autographs will surround him. In general, players will entrust a team security guard to enter the audience and bring their family and friends around the locker room. However, Curry ventured into the arena to find his family that day.

At that time, a 10-year-old boy was standing not far from the stands in Curry. He wore Curry's jersey and asked Curry to sign it for him. But Curry was looking around for his family and didn't notice the child.

The next day, the little boy's mother posted a video on Facebook, accusing Curry of deliberately ignoring her son. The background music in the video is very sad. The child was holding a jersey signed by other warriors, but Curry's eyes did not gather on him.

"I was shocked because she took it out of context and didn't mention how I did it and how I handled these situations," Curry said of the video storm. "I think it's a bit ridiculous, because they made such a great effort to make such a video, filmed and cut it, with background music and captions, all just to discredit me."

According to people around Curry, he later recorded an encouraging video for the little boy.

"In this case, I only care about the children," he said. "I don't care what his mother thinks, I only care about him, because I don't want it to cause him some unnecessary extra harm. He is the key, but I don't want to argue with this mother. I'm not going to prove myself to others. "

As the most famous athlete in sports, Curry is very generous in the concept of time. After every pre-match training, he always signs more than 100 before returning to the dressing room. He will also meet sick young fans who are eager to communicate with the stars. He felt it was his social responsibility to do so. This sense of mission stems from Curry's childhood experience. His father, Dell Curry, has a career of 65,438+06 years in the NBA.

"My attitude towards children is completely different. I grew up in a group of NBA players, and I know who is good and who is bad, "Curry said. "When I was a child, these actually had a great influence on me. If I sit on the edge of the players' tunnel and greet my dad's teammates or opponents, if they reply to me, I will be happy all day, but if they give me the cold shoulder, I will feel very hurt. Although the injury won't last long, that moment is really significant.

"So, for those children who try their best to watch my game and want to get in touch with me, I will really try my best to satisfy them, because this is my responsibility, and my response may affect their mood and mentality all day. This is my only chance to influence them, but after all, I am only one person, and that's all I can do. "

He understands why people call him "Golden State Boy", but he is willing to avoid it. People regard him as an example, but he remains vigilant, because it means that everyone will take his code of conduct as the yardstick of a model citizen.

"No one is perfect, some things will happen, but I am who I am, and I never have to bear those extra pressures to meet people's expectations," Curry said. "They left me a message saying,' You are our role model, thank you.' This is a great compliment. Growing up, my parents have been looking for someone worthy of emulation for me. They hope that these role models can be inextricably linked with my life. Now, my biggest problem is that I shouldn't be the yardstick for everyone. The example you should follow should be a vivid image. He may be your family, or even your parents, but he shouldn't be just a person on TV. This is also the way I communicate with my children in my life. "

Before each game, the Warriors always gather at the entrance of the players' tunnel. Some people are stretching, some people are jumping in place, and some people are chatting. The rest is just waiting quietly for the beginning of the "opening ceremony".

The first person is Durant, and the players are gradually gathering around him. He began to take a unique dance step in the crowd, slowly accelerating, and then gradually slowing down. In the last link, he brought the rhythm a little faster. At this time, it is time for Curry to control the field.

Everyone raised an arm and Curry began to speak. His voice is usually not very loud, at least not hoarse. On the contrary, in the listening of his teammates, he calmly explained all the main points of the game, which was the last sound that all the players heard before playing.

Curry's speech lasted only about 10 seconds, and then he rushed to the stadium, followed by his teammates.

"He always knows what is important at the right time," shaun livingston said. "He may not make his speech infectious with a loud voice, but his leadership style always works for him and us."

This kind of leadership quality is consistent in his contacts with teammates, fans or the president of the United States.

"At a very young age, his parents instilled in him the moral code of positive energy," Durant said. "His performance in the whole game, his temperament, his work habits ... everything we see from Stephen is shining, and because of this, sometimes he doesn't have to say anything. His personality charm is not only reflected on the basketball court, but also off the court. He is like your brother, your family and your close friend.

"This has surpassed basketball."