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He is one of the most famous NBA players. He also owns a media company, a bourbon brand, a golf league for kids, and a philanthropic foundation. But he is also human… And so, in an interview with CNBC’s Alex Sherman earlier this month, Stephen Curry couldn’t help but open up on how, despite his lofty career and business ambitions, he was vulnerable to the same ups and downs as anybody else. “Like everybody, you have doubts about yourself, you have impostor syndrome at times,” he said.

Yes, this is the same Curry who saw his father, Dell Curry, play 16 seasons in the NBA, but because of his underdog mentality, he never grew up with the entitlement that he belonged there. Instead, he worked hard to make his place, and despite being 37 today, he has shown that he can still play at the highest levels. However, on days he would doubt himself, even his closest teammates would not know about it. Take Draymond Green, for instance, who has been teammates with Curry for 13 years but had no idea what his friend was going through.

Green was on a new episode of The Pivot Podcast, where he stated: “When I saw Steph say that, I was like, ‘Damn.’ I know Steph really well. We’ve spent 13 years together. I’ve probably spent more time with Steph over the last 13 years than anybody in my life. At home, you’re together. Practice, gym, game—that thing, this thing—on the road, we’re together. At home, I’m with my family. On the road, I ain’t—I’m always with him.

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“So I know him really well. I didn’t really know that [his struggles]. But when he said it, I was like, ‘Ah makes sense.’ Because I too feel like that at times. But I’m also not Steph Curry, so I’m like ‘Oh dang! Him too? The doubt for both of us—it’s what our journey is built on. Klay too. Wasn’t highly ranked coming out of high school… We all were, in a sense, overlooked. The doubt is actually what did this for us. You didn’t see it coming. You doubted all of us.”

Do you know what Curry’s 2009 NBA draft profile reads? Here you go: “Weakness: Far below NBA standard in regard to explosiveness and athleticism … At 6-2, he’s extremely small for the NBA shooting guard position, and it will likely keep him from being much of a defender at the next level.” Indeed, he rewrote his destiny. Similarly, Draymond Green, selected as the 35th overall pick in the second round of the 2012 draft, was initially viewed as a questionable choice for the Warriors. Nevertheless, with four championship rings to their name, it’s impossible to deny that these stars completely transformed the trajectory of the game.

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“Our foundation is actually built on: I’m covering his weakness here. He’s covering my weakness there. He’s going to cover his weakness there. It’s all because of the doubt. We bonded around that and used everything we had together to lift this thing up.”

Looking back, it’s wild to think Draymond Green—Curry’s basketball soulmate—had no clue. Thirteen years of sweat, grit, and glory, yet this one truth slipped through the cracks. But maybe that’s the thing about inner battles. They whisper. They don’t scream.

What’s your perspective on:

Is the Warriors' dynasty built on talent alone, or is doubt their secret weapon?

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Draymond Green gets candid about the doubt that built the Golden State Warriors

Further on The Pivot Podcast, Green stated: “When I look back on the journey, it all started at the same place for all of us. Although different—very different—right? They sons of NBA players. I’m sagging on with s—. But yet, all doubted. That’s what brought us together and lifted us up and created this thing that I still can’t believe.

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“But it is built on the doubt. We banded around each other on the doubt. That’s one of the most beautiful parts about our journey. It’s also what makes it what it is; because it’s the reason we have such a fondness for each other. It’s the reason we’ll go to hell and back. People be like, ‘Yo, I don’t know how Steph deals with him [Green]. I don’t know why Steph still want him on this team’. You’ll never understand why. You’ll never know everything we went through. The conversations we have. The things we go through. You’ll never know.”

Back in the day, when their team missed the playoffs twice while Thompson was injured, Curry and Green had each other to depend on. They would constantly support each other in the gym, in the locker room, and even while traveling.

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Some legacies don’t emerge from stats—they grow from heart, hurt, and everything in between. From the beginning, Stephen Curry and Draymond didn’t just play; they lived the game. They doubted, stumbled, rose, and kept believing. Through the chaos, they chose each other. In the silence, they understood the unsaid words.

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Is the Warriors' dynasty built on talent alone, or is doubt their secret weapon?

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