Simmons shared his ranking of all-time players and current ones.

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is undoubtedly the lone bright spot for the Dubs team this season, with Klay Thompson struggling and Draymond Green having his issues. However, Curry’s efforts go beyond this season. There is no question that he deserves a place in the NBA’s list of greats, and Bill Simmons has him in his.

Media pundit has the two-time NBA MVP in his top 10, ranking Curry 9th among his favorite players, curiously ahead of the late Kobe Bryant. He backed up his claim when he spoke with Zach Lowe on the “January’s NBA League Pass with Zach Lowe” podcast.

“Stephen Curry is the 9th best player of all time. I think I have him a spot ahead of Kobe. He’s one of my favorite athletes of all time,” Simmons stated.

Simmons dropped Curry in favor of SGA

Placing Curry at 9th may draw debate, although Simmons explained his view, Steph revolutionized basketball, and a lot of players are mimicking his style and constant movement. Also, Steph is still not done adding to his resume, so who knows maybe he’ll rise even higher on the list.

Although, this season is a challenge for Chef Curry, and the team’s bad play is brushing off him as young studs are starting to catchup with him. The prime example is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who Simmon put ahead of the Warriors star, putting the Canadian guard in the 5th spot.

“I had Shai bump him and Tatum out of my top five. I gave Shai the fifth spot and Curry 6th,” the American scribe said.

The 54-year-old, however, cautioned that his current take is because Gilgeous-Alexander is just playing a lot more consistently so far compared to the Dubs guard. Once the playoffs come around, Simmons is not ruling out the possibility of Steph overtaking Shai in his rankings.

“In April, Curry might jump up him in my rankings again. But what I’ve watched these first ten weeks, Shai is the best guard in the league and I don’t even know if it’s debatable,” he quipped.

Gilgeous-Alexander is just unpredictable

OKC stud has come a long way since entering the NBA in 2018. His talent came out when he joined the Thunder, which has baffled opposing teams. Simmons explains why it is hard to predict what the 25-year-old will do when he is on the court. He stresses the fact that SGA moves a lot, giving anyone tasked to guard him big problems.

“The way he moves and kind of rotates around and waits and picks his spot and then strikes and comes back, it’s like watching a great hockey forward. They’re like almost like panthers or cougars, like just in the wilderness, just kind of waiting to make their move,” Simmons said.

While it may still be too early, Candian’s name has cropped up in sportsbooks as someone who could have a serious case for the Most Valuable Player award. This means he joins an elite company of players competing for the prestigious award, such as Joel Embiid, Luka Doncic, and Nikola Jokic.

“He’s shifty, plays at his own pace, nobody can rush him, he’s tall enough to shoot over you… We knew coming into the game that he was gonna make tough shots… and he ended up with 31 after scoring 2 in the 1st quarter.”

– Steph Curry on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s game. pic.twitter.com/EBfVGXHcHX

— Cooper Jones (@CooperJNBA) January 31, 2023

If SGA stays the course, there is a huge chance he could be a strong contender for the MVP award. And that may all depend on how well he can lead the Thunder heading into the postseason wars.