Stephen Curry accepted his second consecutive NBA Most Valuable Player award Tuesday with his teammates and coaches onstage and his family in the front row. Curry, who donned a blue suit, white shirt, and patterned purple-and-blue tie, is the first player in the NBA history to win the award unanimously.
Curry struggled to find words to express how it felt to be the first unanimous MVP in NBA history.
"I looked at the list of everybody who's won the MVP award," Curry said, "And they're legends. To be the first unanimous MVP award winner, it's something I don't know how to put into words ... I'm out here playing the game and doing what I love to do."
In addition to profusely thanking his family, Curry specifically acknowledged Warriors General Manager Bob Myers ("you care about us as individuals on and off the court"), the Warriors' coaching staff ("we love coming to play for you guys every single day"), and the trainers ("thank you, guys, for bringing that joy to what I do"). Curry moved on to recognizing his teammates and imploring them to appreciate the moment.
"I think we need to appreciate what we have right now," Curry said. "We want to keep it together ... appreciate the bond we have and how much fun we have."
Before Curry's speech, Warriors coach Steve Kerr reminisced about a conversation he had with Dell and Sonya Curry, Stephen's parents, when Steph was in college at Davidson. Curry was good but dramatically undersized. "Probably a buck 40," as Kerr put it. Sonya wasn't sure whether Steph would even make it in the NBA. Now he is the back-to-back MVP.
"How did all that happen in nine years?" Kerr asked. "This is incredibly improbable."
Kerr attributed Curry's growth to his determination, familial foundation, confidence, and love for the game: "There's no agenda. It's just, 'I want to get better.' And every day you come in and you work."
Kerr closed with a sincere, "Congrats, Steph. You're amazing."
Myers, who inherited Curry when he became GM five years ago, opened up the ceremony with humor.
"I know, Steph, you don't get a lot of accolades and I know a lot of people don't know about you," Myers joked.
However, Myers got more serious as his speech went on and spoke from his heart as he thanked Curry on behalf of the Warriors' community.
"You are the epitome of someone who is loved the most by the people who know you the best," he said. He later added: "there is nothing fake about you; you are as authentic as they come."
The MVP has arrived 🏆 pic.twitter.com/g0NrWRAuJP
Before Myers took the stage, the Warriors presented a video in which his teammates spoke to Curry's accomplishments and their favorite moments from his season.
Curry's 2015 MVP acceptance speech, in which he credited his teammates, left an impression on fans and the Warriors' organization.
"That was the moment when I thought we had stumbled on something unique, when Steph won the MVP and thanked everyone on the team," Myers said. "It brought everyone together. That was a moment that resonated with me."
Curry averaged 30.1 points (nearly a seven-point jump from his 2014-15 MVP performance), 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game this year, all while averaging only 34.2 minutes per game. He led the Warriors to the best regular season in NBA history.
Golden State currently leads its best-of-seven series against the Portland Trailblazers 3-1. Game five will take place in Oakland at 10:30 p.m. EST Wednesday.
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