Imagine Stephen Curry as a member of the Knicks.
Sounds weird, right? According to Curry's father, Dell Curry, the general consensus within their family was they didn't want the Warriors to select Curry with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.
Instead, they wanted him to fall to No. 8 so the Knicks could select him.
Dell said Don Nelson, the Warriors coach at that time, loved what he saw in Stephen and had called Dell to get advice about drafting his son.
"Don't," Dell recalled telling Nelson. "You asked me the question, I'll tell you the truth. Don't (draft him)."
"I don't know where Golden State is..." - Sonya Curry
— NBC Sports Northwest (@NBCSNorthwest) May 15, 2019
When asked on Draft night by then head coach Don Nelson about the @warriors drafting @StephenCurry30, Dell Curry said "Don't. You asked me the question, I'll tell you the truth. Don't."
It all worked out in the end. pic.twitter.com/p1EwGb921D
According to Dell, Stephen wanted a faster-paced game style and a locker room that was more cohesive. The Knicks fit that style at the time, while the Warriors were known to have some locker-room issues back then.
Dell's wife and Stephen's mother, Sonja Curry, also didn't seem sold on Golden State.
"Golden State was too far away," said Sonja, who with Dell lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. "Where's my baby going? I don't know where Golden State is!"
Despite Dell's warning, Nelson said if Curry was on the board, the Warriors would draft him. Sure enough, five teams passed on Stephen (with the Timberwolves passing on him twice) and he was available when the Warriors were on the clock.
Golden State picked Stephen, and the rest is history.