The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904, and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have now won 17 gold medals in the 20 tournaments they have participated in during the past 88 years, while the women have won 10 gold medals in the 12 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 48 years. While we must wait 3 years until the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will fill the void by interviewing as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible. We continue our coverage by chatting with Kevin Danna (play-by-play announcer for the Santa Cruz Warriors/Golden State Valkyries) about Steph Curry’s dominance at Davidson and the gold medal he won in 2024.
Steph’s father Dell spent 16 years in the NBA: how much of an impact did he have on his son’s future success? If you go back into the NBA archives you will see a lot of video of Steph shooting on NBA courts. I think it made a big impact.
He played basketball at Davidson, where he was a 2-time All-American, set the NCAA single-season record with 162 3PM as a sophomore, and led the nation with 28.6 PPG as a junior: is it true that Dell called teams with the 1st 7 picks in the 2009 NBA Draft and told them not to select Steph because he wanted the Knicks to take him with the 8th pick, and why did the Warriors select him 7th? I do not know if the story is true but I have heard something similar. Larry Riley was the GM at the time and Don Nelson was the head coach: I think they saw a budding star even though Steph was undersized. I remember the 2008 NCAA tourney when he almost took Davidson to the Final 4: it was 1 of the most amazing runs we have ever seen. At the end of the day, what is he going to do if you draft him: not show up?! We are a “glamour” franchise now, but growing up out here as a kid I never even dreamed about them making the Finals. When they made the playoffs in 2007 and won a series against Dallas I was over the moon. They did not get any free agents and things were not like they are now.
In February of 2013 he scored career-high 54 PTS and set a franchise record with 11 3PM in a 4-PT loss to the Knicks (becoming the 1st player in NBA history with 50+ PTS/10+ 3PM in 1 game): do you recall that being just the next 1 in a long line of great performances, or 1 of those games that turned him from Steph Curry into STEPH CURRY? I think it is the latter. That was my 1st year working in the organization and I definitely recall the game. It was the 1st time that people around the league realized that he was for real. They call Madison Square Garden the “Mecca of Basketball” so everything gets magnified, and the game was on ESPN so it was even bigger.
He won his 1st of 2 consecutive MVP awards in 2015: how was he able to put up such great stats (23.8 PPG/7.7 APG/2 SPG) while sitting out the 4th quarter of 17 games due to his team’s dominant scoring margins? The online phrase for Warriors fans back then was “must be the 3rd quarter”. They would just blitz teams with a 12-0 run in 90 seconds and the opponent would be down for the count. Steph could go 1 quarter and let the game come to him…and then there would be a “Curry Flurry” that got the crowd going. There is nothing like seeing him explode at home: the 3-PT shot was not what it is today, so if Steph made 4 threes in a quarter and Klay Thompson was also making threes then they would just bury you in an avalanche.
In Game 5 of the 2015 conference semifinals he became the 1st player with 6 3PM and 6 STL in a playoff game, and in 2016 he led the league in STL: everyone knows about his offense, but do you think that he deserves more credit for his defense? Yes: he consistently averages at least 1 SPG and is not a turnstile. He has gotten much stronger as his career has gone on, so he can stand his ground when someone tries to back him down. I am not an authority on defense: as a play-by-play guy I watch the game more passively, but he is not a liability on defense. However, his offense is other-worldly so it is hard to talk about anything else.
In February of 2016 he scored 46 PTS including a 38-footer with 0.6 seconds left in a 3-PT OT win over Oklahoma City: what are your memories of play-by-play broadcaster Mike Breen’s famous “Double Bang” (www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEMVGHoenXM)? I watched that game at a Chili’s in Palo Alto with a friend who brought me into broadcasting and now works for Golden State: it was 1 of the best regular-season games I have ever seen. OKC was leading for most of the game and Draymond Green/Steve Kerr had a famous shouting match during halftime. Steph had time for another dribble or 2, but if you look at the still-frame of the Thunder bench as he was pulling up, you can see that the opposing players already knew it was going in.
In 2022 he broke Ray Allen’s record for most 3PM in a career, and his 91.1 career FT% is also the best in NBA history: do you have any doubt that he is the greatest shooter in basketball history, and what is his secret? I have no doubt. He is also a more well-rounded player than people realize. I would lean toward the labor he puts into shooting during his warm-up routine. He has worked hard to become a great shooter and has incredible range. It is a monotonous task of slowly getting better, but that is what he did.
He played for Team USA/Coach Steve Kerr at the 2024 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? He missed the 2016/2020 Olympics so it was a big line item of his career to check off the list. He did not get off to a great start that summer, but his threes to sink France were a watershed moment for his career.
In addition to all his on-court success, he has shot 74 in a pro golf event, been named 1 of the most influential people in philanthropy by Time magazine, and won an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) as co-executive producer of “The Queen of Basketball”: is he just 1 of those people who succeeds at everything he does in life? That sounds about right! There was an article a few years ago about how regimented/hyper-focused his offseason is. It takes a special person to do everything he does.
He is a 4-time NBA champion, and 11-time All-Star who was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, and the highest-paid basketball player ever: how has he remained 1 of the best players in the league while entering his 17th season as 1 of the best players in history who has nothing left to prove to anybody? His conditioning/work ethic/desire to keep playing and winning at the highest level for as long as he can. Kobe had 5 rings so it would be nice to match him, although OKC/Denver/others will make that tough. I have never won a title, but I imagine that every time you win 1 you crave another 1. Michael Jordan won 6 rings, which is the modern standard, and you always want to measure yourself against the GOAT. Longevity has become another feather in his cap: the only thing better than playing 17 years…is playing 18 years! Even for someone who has already made hundreds of millions of dollars, if you can make a few more millions then why not?
