A few months ago, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry revealed the three toughest defenders he’s ever played against.
One of the toughest jobs as a defender is trying to defend Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry for an entire game. If he’s not shaking you off with his tight handle, he’ll run from one corner to the other using screens to get himself open. Former teammate Juan Toscano-Anderson once said he’s unstoppable to guard once he’s in his zone, JR Smith revealed Matthew Dellavedova nearly ‘died‘ during the 2015 finals just trying to keep up with Curry, and the list goes on.
However, Curry knows he can be stopped and will occasionally lose his matchup. In an interview with the Today Show a few months ago, Curry revealed the top three players who gave him the most problems during his career were Jrue Holiday, Tony Allen, and Ron Artest.
“There’s a group of 3 that always a light bulb went off when they’re on the court. Jrue Holiday, Tony Allen, and Ron Artest,” said Stephen Curry. He also added that even though he didn’t get to play Artest in his prime, or also once known as Metta World Peace, his hands were the strongest he’s ever seen in his life: “If you put the ball around him, he would smack it right out of your hand.”
The three names shouldn’t surprise anyone. Holiday has been named to five all-defensive teams and is the player most people believe to be the best perimeter defender in today’s game. Moving on to Allen, he was named to six all-defensive teams over his career, but his biggest compliment was when Kobe Bryant acknowledged him as the best defender he’s ever faced. Artest might’ve only been named to four all-defensive teams, but of the three he is the only one to ever be named Defensive Player of the Year.
Are there any other defenders who could stop Curry?
The real answer is no. With the offensive firepower Curry provides on a nightly basis, this wouldn’t be the first time he’d be asked this question in public.
In a GQ Sports interview in 2022, Stephen Curry said the player who played the best defense on him was his younger brother (Seth Curry) since he’s the player most familiar with his game and named Avery Bradley and Tony Allen as the other players who could lock him down.
