NBA Rumors 2015: Stephen Curry Named AP Male Athlete of the Year
Reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry just couldn't stop rolling this year, with another prestigious achievement to his name, this time grabbing the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year given on Saturday.
The AP press release through ESPN said that Curry is just the fourth professional basketball player in history to have won the award. The other three are Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and LeBron James.
In his road to winning this prestigious sporting industry award, Curry beat two others who also excelled in their own sporting disciplines — Jordan Spieth of golf and horseracing's American Pharaoh, the very first horse to do a Triple Crown since way back in 1978.
The Golden State Warriors sharpshooting point guard led his team to its first championship since 40 years ago. He is a fan favorite not only of his team but even in opposing teams because of his distinctive style of play that does not rely on physicality. Instead, Curry is known for his superb smarts in the court, incredible ball-handling skills, and an outrageous outside shooting ability.
The 27-year-old currently owns the best-selling jersey in the NBA, and a lot of people come in to Warriors games very early just to see him do the warm-ups right before the start of a game.
The votes later revealed that the horse, Pharaoh, actually got more first place votes compared to Curry, but he got almost 90 percent of the 82 ballots that put his name on, making sure he was ranked in the top 5.
Last season was Curry's breakout year, leading Golden State to the championship while averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game. But what's more interesting is that he made 44 percent of his three point shots.
This year, the Warriors made history by having the best start of the season. They are currently 28-1 heading into tomorrow's game against the Sacramento Kings.