Wardell Stephen Curry II is the NBA's all-time leading three-point shooter, a four-time NBA Champion, a nine-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA First Team player and a two-time NBA MVP over his 13-year career with the Golden State Warriors. Simply put, Steph Curry is not like other NBA players. Even when looking at NBA basketball players who have similar resumes as the greatest shooter ever, like Kevin Durant, LeBron James, James Harden and Michael Jordan, it's clear that Curry stands tall in comparison. However, considering how tall Steph Curry is, the fact that he doesn't stand as tall as other MVP-caliber players with multiple NBA Championships makes the Davidson graduate even more of an anomaly.
Shortest NBA MVP Winners of All-Time
RELATED: Pete Maravich Was Steph Curry Before Steph Curry Was Even Born
For some professional basketball players, it's all about wingspan, dunks and playoffs wins. For Steph Curry, he can certainly hold his own on the playoff wins front, but the Dell Curry's son and Seth Curry's brother stands below the average height of an NBA player, which is set at 6-foot-6. However, that doesn't mean the 2022 NBA Finals MVP isn't in good company on the shorter end of the MVP scale.
To be clear, the shortest MVP in NBA history was Allen Iverson, who won the award in 2001 with the Philadelphia 76ers. The 6-foot Georgetown ball handler never won an NBA championship during his career, but that's what happens when you come into the league during the Jordan Bulls era and play during the Kobe Bryant Lakers era that followed.
Heading back in time, Hall of Famer Bob Cousy holds court as the second-shortest MVP Award winner in NBA history, but he leads Steph in another category. Playing with teammate Bill Russell Celtics of the 1950s and 60s, Cousy won the coveted award after the 1957 NBA season, the year the Celtics began their insane run of dominance. Heck, it's possible that Cousy and Steph could have had similar career stats if the Celtics legend could shoot three-pointers.
And then we arrive at the North Carolina high school hoops phenom, Wardell Stephen Curry II.
Steph Curry Stands Tall Amongst NBA Legends
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images
Stephen Curry's height is listed as 6-foot-2, making him the shortest player to even win multiple NBA MVP Awards in his career.
Following Curry in the MVP list, journeyman point guard Russell Westbrook, falls in a third-shortest MVP. Westbrook was taken in the same NBA Draft as Minnesota Timberwolves legend O.J. Mayo, who was quickly flipped to Memphis for Westbrook's NCAA teammate at UCLA, Kevin Love. The 6-foot-3 star's 2017 MVP season saw Russ become the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season, putting up 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. That's an insane NBA record.
Superstars Steve Nash and Derrick Rose also round out the 6-foot-3 group, but it's clear that the real height of a player's NBA career highlights is all that matters.
Going even further, the Warriors four NBA championships also gives Klay Thompson's Splash Brother another accolade that puts him in a rare grouping on NBA legends. Steph Curry is one of four players to win four NBA rings while standing shorter than 6-foot-3. Derek Fish, Bill Sharman and Frank Saul have all completed the feat, with the latter two winning their rings with the Lakers and Celtics teams of the 1950s and 60s.
If Steph were to continue winning NBA championships in the back half of his Hall of Fame career, he'd join even more rarified air. Derek Fisher, Larry Siegfried and Slater Martin all won five titles, while Cousy won 6 with Boston. Beyond that, only one player under 6-foot-3 has even won more than six NBA titles and that's K.C. Jones who won eight with Boston during their insane run.
Following Journeyman point guard, Russell Westbrook, falls in a third-shortest MVP. Westbrook was taken in the same NBA Draft as Minnesota Timberwolves legend O.J. Mayo, who was quickly flipped to Memphis for Westbrook's NCAA teammate at UCLA, Kevin Love. The 6-foot-3 star's 2017 MVP season saw Russ become the first player to average a triple-double for an entire season, putting up 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 11.4 assists. That's an insane NBA record.
Superstars Steve Nash and Derrick Rose also round out the 6-foot-3 group, but it's clear that the only real height that matters is that a player's NBA career highlights brings his team to a new level.
