4x NBA champion and All-Star point guard Stephen Curry is among the most liked players in the NBA. Not many players in the league today would decline an opportunity to play with the humble superstar. However, there was a time when a young Curry found himself in the bad books of a fellow teammate. Moreover, the said teammate strongly disapproved of the thought of playing together on the same team as Stephen Curry.

The teammate in question is former Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis. During a media day sit down from 2009, Ellis strongly protested against his pairing with a rookie Stephen Curry. Fast forward a decade, Ellis further doubled down on his stance.

Former Warriors player doubles down on his decision to not play with Stephen Curry

The Golden State Warriors drafted Stephen Curry in the 2009 NBA draft. Apart from filling the shoes of Baron Davis, the Warriors hoped to pair him alongside Monta Ellis to form a lethal backcourt. However, their plans fell flat as only one turned out to be a true Warrior in the long run. 

Monta Ellis was also a talented guard drafted by the Warriors in the 2006 NBA draft. By the time Curry got drafted, Ellis was already an established guard in the Warriors’ system. However, when Curry came to town, Ellis failed to accommodate with the new blood. He did not entertain the idea of him and Curry as the team’s backcourt. Ellis strongly expressed his disapproval in a media day interview in 2009.

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In an honest confession, he said, “You can’t put two small guys out there and try to play the 1 and the 2 when you’ve got big 2 guards in the league. You just can’t do it.”

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Despite his disapproval of Curry, the Warriors refused to cave in. Fast-forward a decade, their bet paid off, as Ellis only stayed with them for two more seasons after 2009. On the other hand, Curry cemented himself among the all-time greats and brought glory to the team in the form of four NBA championships.

However, according to a report by Basketball Network, Ellis refused to go back on his word and further justified his statements last year. He said, “I was right at the end of the day.” Despite doubling down on his stance, Ellis admitted that he regrets coming off as a villain in the process.

Stephen Curry’s stint with the Golden State Warriors

While Monta Ellis became a journeyman and prematurely retired from the league in 2017, Curry made history in the NBA. Curry revolutionized the game of basketball with his video game like shooting prowess. Curry and the Warriors dominated the 2010s. They made it to five straight NBA Finals from 2014 to 2019, bringing home three championships. In those runs, Curry was the leader and centerpiece of the Warriors’ team.

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The 2x MVP further solidified his greatness when he won the 2022 NBA Finals and also bagged his illustrious career’s first Finals MVP. Moreover, unsurprisingly, he also broke the NBA record of most made threes. Many fans consider him to be the greatest shooter of all time. Some have even crowned him as the greatest point guard of all time.