Steph Curry

From taking the No. 1 spot on the NBA’s single-season 3-point leaderboard to guiding his Golden State Warriors to NBA history’s best-ever 58-game start, Stephen Curry’s shooting on February 27, 2016 left no record incapable of being broken. But as the clock ticked down, with the last shot of his timeless performance closely approaching, the soon-to-be two-time Most Valuable Player broke something of a different kind: the Oklahoma City Thunder’s spirit. Successfully generating a stop with six seconds remaining and a timeout at their disposal, the Warriors enter the game’s most consequential possession with options aplenty. Fusing a flawless blend of fearlessness and never-before-seen accuracy, Curry refuses the timeout, instead easing his dribble past the Thunder’s midcourt logo before splashing a 32-foot game-winner, capping off one of basketball history’s greatest shooting exhibits. One game removed from a 51-point masterpiece, Curry’s response evoked similar goosebumps as he finished with 46 points — 12 over the five-minute overtime span — six assists, two steals, and a then-record-tying 12 3-pointers. In sending his message to a fellow Western Conference title contender, Curry shook off an injury scare to send the Warriors to a 53-5 start, momentum they would ultimately ride to the 2016 NBA Finals.

MVP Year