Stephen Curry Curry: Underestimated.

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)

In the summer of 200 1 year, I was 13 years old, and we participated in the AAU national championship in Tennessee.

I was about 1 m, 66, 67, and 100 kg when I died.

We lost badly, and I played even worse myself.

I finally got a chance that I had been waiting for a year, a chance to prove myself, but I couldn't grasp it, and it was far from it. This gave me a wake-up call, just like the moment when the truth came out. The only explanation is that I'm not good enough.

I remember going back to my room at the Holiday Inn and sulking. I'm not angry, nor am I angry because I lost. I'm just depressed. It's like the tortoise retracted its shell. I think what I felt at that time was the feeling that these big games always brought people, plus the cruel environment of basketball: it seemed that we were on a road of no return. My father once walked this road and entered the NBA. But what about his son? He can't even win 13.

So as I said, I'm not bored, but the kind of depression that comes to my mind: so? Is that the only way? I'm not good enough at all? Is my basketball career over?

For me, at that moment, my basketball dream was over.

But at that moment, my parents sat me down in a hotel room in Tennessee and told me the most important thing in my life.

I wish I could show you the manuscript of that passage, because there were too many golden sentences in that passage. That's probably what it means. Mother said at the beginning: Stephen, I will only say these words to you once. After that, let your basketball dream happen naturally. But what I want to say is: no one can write your life except yourself. It's not a scout, it's not a tournament, it's not those kids who may do better than you in some ways, and it's not your last name. These people, these things, can't write your story Only you can. So you have to think about it, spend some time, and then write your own story, in your own way. As long as you remember, this life, this story is yours.

I really never forget this passage.

This passage has been accompanied by my growth and my basketball career. This is the best advice I have ever received. Whenever I need it, I will think of my conversation with my mother that day. Every time I am left out, underestimated or even disrespected, I will think of the conversation in the hotel room, and then I will have the motivation to stick to it.

I told myself that no one can control my life except myself.

Wait a minute, aren't you thinking now, is this another fairy tale where a child is educated by chicken soup for the soul, and then everything is booming immediately? Because. . .

It's really not.

To tell the truth, my real wife was very humble at that time.

The biggest problem at that time was that I was extremely thin. Really, I tell you, I'm really too thin. Anyway, it's just whether you are fat or not. My cousin Will and I sometimes go to the GNC store (a store selling health products) in a small shopping mall near my home and stare at the magic drugs on the shelves one after another. We never have money to buy things, just look. But I think we're trying ... What can I say? Try to breathe some magic dust in GNC store. We will stay in the store for 20 minutes, absorb these mysterious powders in the big basin with our minds, and think: We must ... grow muscles!

Then one day, suddenly, it really happened!

We have become particularly powerful.

Come on, I'm kidding. We're not getting any stronger. Apart from growing a few inches, the profile of my high school players is basically: short, thin and average in scoring.

Can you imagine the next story?

I remember that the first time I was interested in a university was when I was in my third year of high school, and Virginia Tech showed some interest in me.

Or "looks" like you're interested. If you squint carefully, it is not impossible for them to be interested: my father graduated from there, and I once said that I would enter this school, and I finally began to have some beautiful data.

The assistant coach of Virginia Tech said that he would meet me in our school. what can I say? . . I really squinted at that time and took what I just said seriously.

I'm really starting to think they might want me.

I suggest that we can talk over lunch. Sounds cool? Pretty formal, huh? I 16 years old, in a small high school with only 360 students. So when we say "lunch", we mean "canteen", in front of the whole student group, so it may not be so cool.

But when that day came, it was finally lunchtime. Their assistant coach came in. He is wearing a coat and a big hat from Virginia Tech. We shook hands and sat down, and then, to be honest, I really felt very good about myself. The whole school is whispering about my meeting with me, and the whole school is pretending that "I'm not watching (but I'm definitely peeking)". It seems like a strong conversation lunch, and I felt great at that time.

Then he said, "Listen, Stephen, thank you for seeing me. It's really an honor. We'd like to invite you to join the team as a reserve player after entering the school.

It turned out that Virginia Tech wanted to see me, although it shouldn't be said that it was because my father "asked" because he would never do that, but it should be regarded as "meeting him". Give the son of a legendary school alumnus a chance to be a substitute? I have to pay my own tuition.

Or in other words: they are not interested in me at all.

I clearly remember how shameful my whole experience at Davidson University was.

It's funny to say, because it's wonderful to think of it now. Really, if you are reading this article, you must consider going to Davidson University. This is a great university and an equally powerful basketball program. But when I was at school, I only remember how much the school emphasized that we were not just playing top basketball in college, we were student athletes. Capitalized "students" and lowercase "athletes". Our treatment at school is: you play well, but you still have to hand in that philosophy paper. We also share a training ground with the volleyball team.

Then let's talk about the "cool" sports equipment at that time: two pairs of sneakers, two or three jerseys and a pair of foot pads every year. That's really all. One of my favorite memories is that every time our new sneakers arrive, it feels like the second Christmas. Then those mats, let's just say, were still white at the beginning of the season, but not that color at the end of the season.

But it's all about love. Being able to play in Davidson and win in that level of college league has shaped me in a sense. It made me understand the process needed to create something, a real creative process, a memory that no one can deprive from you. An experience and feeling that belongs to you completely.

It's interesting to say. What is my deepest memory of college life? You may all think that we 16 beat the University of Wisconsin, or 8+06 beat the University of Kansas. But it's really not.

In fact, it is a moment in the middle of these two games.

The night before the game against the University of Kansas, I came back from dinner and walked to the corner of the corridor. I saw a very strange scene: half of the players were sitting on the ground, still wearing training clothes and holding heavy computers in 2007. These people just did their best to beat Georgetown University and the University of Wisconsin.

I asked them: Well, what are you doing?

Then they said with one voice: Mid-term exam.

I'm really not kidding. This is definitely a true story. This is a story that happened 12 hours before the top four of the American University League. It is the most important game in our lives. These brothers are sitting on the floor in the corridor, writing their mid-term exam papers. Sweat like rain in Word documents. To tell the truth, I like Davidson from the bottom of my heart.

I remember Doug Gottlieb, who was a famous basketball commentator at that time. He said that I had six shooting guards who had more room for improvement than me. The "Sports Center" program broadcast a tweet he published at that time ... I guess a few years later, when the Golden State Warriors started to achieve some success, someone dug up that tweet again. So that screenshot is still being spread by everyone from time to time.

Ladies and gentlemen in the star stands, if you also "accidentally" post a screenshot of that tweet here, I may not be angry.

Of course, I'm kidding. I can talk about it with a smile now. But then what? Seriously ... it's hard to express how sad I am when I hear these comments. All the analysis published by these people, all the scout reports, etc., at that time, everything was concentrated in the place where I could not do it. "Too small", "can't be a key person" and "very limited ability". I can list many such words today. But what is even more incredible is that although I have now shown people that their views are wrong, there are still many unique players entering the NBA to show their special talents. Those so-called experts still continue the same scouting method as before: focusing on the shortcomings of these players.

Instead of looking for the uniqueness of their abilities and their room for improvement.

I had an idea a long time ago.

That is to organize a "roving training camp for underrated players". The thing is this: We have all kinds of basketball camps, right? These basketball camp's all over the world and all over the country are great and have special significance, because many NBA players come out of these training camps. So we must continue. But for these training camps, one of the questions I have been thinking about is that when I think about it, these training camps have never been attended by a small number of top players. They are all freshmen with four or five-star evaluations. They are already a group of players familiar to all scouts, but only these people attend one training camp after another in China.

I never underestimate the meaning of these blue-chip children, but what about the other children? What about those players who are labeled as 2 stars and 3 stars because they are not strong enough in one aspect? I'm not saying that these children need to be invited to all the top training camps (to be honest, no one can do it). But if our current system does not allow these children to participate in any training camp, then I think there is a problem. I think these children who love basketball are prevented from pursuing this opportunity to love basketball because of other people's opinions and comments. The current situation is that these children have been limited to proving themselves before proving their abilities.

Therefore, my idea is that this "player training camp to be reckoned with", sponsored by Lotte (Japan Lotte), is open to all sophomores and sophomores who have not signed a contract with the school. A training camp for high school students who are not top players but love basketball and want to improve their skills. Provide an opportunity for scouts to see these players and make them realize that the so-called weaknesses in these children may become their secret weapons.

More importantly?

This is a player training camp that doesn't want others to write their own stories.

I also gradually noticed something.

In other words, when you achieve some success, people will feel that the feeling of being underestimated will be far away from you. When you reach an ultimate goal, this feeling will leave you forever.

But from my own experience, this feeling will never disappear in your mind.

To tell the truth, in my mind, this feeling has not even weakened at all, for example, at these moments:

20 10 when I want to make the five teams that didn't choose me regret their decision,

20 1 1 When I want to prove that my ability is far higher than my value as a trading chip,

20 12 years, when I was trying to recover from my ankle injury and defeat,

20 13 when I want to prove that I deserve a new contract that others think I don't deserve,

20 14 when I want to prove that Curry's play is not suitable for the playoffs,

20 15 when I want to prove that Curry's play is not suitable for the final, it is also wrong.

In 20 16, when we wanted to break the record of 72 wins by bulls,

20 17 years, when I wanted to find out how the Warriors were reversed in March-1 the year before last,

In 20 18, when I tried to fight against a series of injuries, the rockets, which could not be stronger, and all other things that challenged us,

Even on 20 19, yes, even this year, when people tried to bury our historical momentum, I desperately wanted to jump out of this "grave".

At these moments, I never lost the feeling of being "underestimated".

This thorn in my heart will never disappear.

In short, it will only gradually become a part of my body.

In the past 17 years, the biggest experience I have learned from myself is that the feeling of being underestimated may just be the feeling imposed on you by the world, but what if you know how to resist it?

This become that feeling you impose on the world.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is-this is the most important-the reason why we speak today. This is also the reason why I set up an "underestimation tour". Because I already have a training camp ... and it's great. But guess who won't be invited?

Me.

Besides, I have to tell you-I found something special on this guy.

Don't ignore him.

This kid is a killer.

Thank you for reading.

For the original English, please click here.