Stephen Curry is revealing how he became one of the greatest basketball players of all time in his new picture book, Shot Ready
According to the description, the book is a “powerful distillation of Stephen Curry’s transformative philosophy of success—centered on preparation, constant improvement, creativity, connection, mindfulness, and joy—delivered in his incomparable voice and style.”
Speaking with PEOPLE, Curry recalled he and former teammate Klay Thompson earned the nickname “Splash Bros.”
“I don’t remember the exact first time I heard it, but I remember the timeframe — when Bob Fitzgerald, our play-by-play guy, first said it during a broadcast. Then Coach Mark Jackson called us the best shooting backcourt in the league,” Curry recalled. “That was a big statement back then, because we hadn’t done much yet. We were just getting started. But hearing that gave us real confidence — and I know Klay felt the same way.”
“The Splash Bros thing is funny, though,” Curry continued. “My mom got mad at first — she was like, ‘You and Seth are the real Splash Bros!’ And I’m like, ‘I know, we’re the originals. But now I’ve got a teammate I hope to play with for a long time.’”
Curry also spoke about overcoming injuries in his first few years in the NBA.
“One hurdle early in my career was ankle injuries,” Curry says. “Back then, I didn’t really know the right strategy. I wasn’t healthy. I didn’t know if I’d even get another real chance to prove myself.”
“It was a long road,” Curyy adds. “But it taught me patience, how to run my own race, and how to trust myself. You can’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. When something’s taken away, you realize how much it meant.”
Interestingly, his father, former NBA player Dell Curry, initially told the Warriors not to draft him.
“They asked him, ‘What do you think about drafting your son?’ And he said, ‘Don’t. You want the honest truth? Don’t.’”
Shot Ready is now available wherever books are sold.