Tracy McGrady puts Stephen Curry’s legacy into focus as Warriors star pursues 4th ring

The prospect of Stephen Curry winning another NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors could help the superstar guard’s legacy given the circumstances of how he won the other three, Hall of Famer Tracy McGrady said Tuesday.

Curry has been a homegrown talent for the Warriors and helped develop Golden State into the seemingly unstoppable monsters they’ve been since the 2014-15 season. However, McGrady explained to NBC Sports Washington, it doesn’t mean Curry is automatically in the upper echelon of the all-time greats who have come before him.

McGrady suggested Curry failing to win an NBA Finals MVP, beating a LeBron James-led team without his other teammates or with Kevin Durant and being the main focal part of blowing a 3-1 lead in the Finals, was a detriment.

“That’s a tough question,” McGrady said when he was asked where Curry stands all time. “Because he has his career individually and with what he’s accomplished with his team is tough. Because you’ve gotta think, he won a championship, right, against LeBron [James] that didn’t have Kyrie [Irving], that didn’t have Kevin Love. He didn’t win the [Finals] MVP, right? Then he loses a 3-1 lead to LeBron, gets K.D., K.D. comes and wins two championships, so that gives Steph three championships but K.D. wins the two MVPs, right?

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“We know Steph is like the 3-point god. But when it comes to putting him with [Michael Jordan] and these guys that won that level of championships; Kobe [Bryant] and Magic Johnson, I don’t know where to rank him. I know he’s pretty high. But I think those guys are in a different class than Steph Curry based off of [all of that]. They’re on championship teams. K.D. came and joined the Warriors and became the best player and helped Steph win two more championships. But Steph wasn’t the best player on that team.”

In this series against the Boston Celtics, Curry doesn’t have the support from a Durant. He’s stepped up for the team and has gotten incredible support from Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and unsung players like Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins.

Curry scored 31 points in Game 3, but Boston managed to win the game 116-100 and take a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for Friday night.