Throughout his career, Stephen Curry has given the Golden State Warriors several memorable performances. However, he recently revealed that he suffers from performance anxiety because of the expectations that he set for himself.
Tim Keown of ESPN wrote about his chat with Curry, in which the four-time champion discussed how he doesn’t get nervous before games.
“He plays with such freedom, ebullience and unflappability that it might come as a surprise, as it did to me, to learn that Curry suffers from performance anxiety, that he approaches every game with an unsettled fear of what lies ahead,” ESPN’s Tim Keown wrote. “He does not appear to be suffering from any existential angst as he’s scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter against the [Los Angeles] Lakers on Christmas Day; he looked equally unaffected hitting eight 3s against France in the Olympic gold medal game; same for the countless times he has tossed his conscience aside and led his team by making shots from previously unimagined distances.”
Even with his anxiety, however, Curry said that he believes it keeps him moving forward to become a greater player.
“Oh, for sure I have anxiety,” Curry said. “A lot of it is baked into the expectations I’ve set and the level I want to play at. It’s your own expectations and awareness of what a good game is. It’s a healthy insecurity of having to prove yourself every single night, which is cool. It keeps you going.”
Steph Curry reveals he suffers from performance anxiety ahead of games:
https://t.co/ixrGDkNv4y— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) January 7, 2025
Curry has had a few moments where he couldn’t deliver. But fans remember the times when he showed up big for the Warriors, leading them to wins.
What are some of Stephen Curry’s recent iconic performances?
In recent years, teams have called on Stephen Curry’s number and he has not disappointed. Here are some of the moments when Curry showed up big to lead his team to a win.
Olympic Finals vs France
Over the summer, Curry played for Team USA and became an important player, especially in the final game. They went against France for the gold medal game and the Warriors’ star shot lights out.
Game within 2 possessions, last 3 minutes, Team USA, 2024 Olympics:
Stephen Curry: 19 points (138% TS)
Rest of team USA combined: 4 pointsTHAT SOUNDS LIKE CLUTCH TO ME pic.twitter.com/Z01Oqg6h1S
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) August 10, 2024
He scored 24 points in the game, 19 in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, to lead the Americans to a win.
Game 4 against the Celtics
In the 2022 NBA Finals, Curry led the Warriors to a 107-97 win over the Boston Celtics. The 10-time All-Star finished with 43 points, 10 rebounds and five assists one 7-for-14 shooting from deep.
Stephen Curry had 10 points in the final quarter to secure the win.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
