Stephen Curry, a four-time NBA champion, was honored on Thursday as the NBA’s Clutch Player of the Year for his remarkable performances in tight, late-game scenarios.
Curry topped the league in points scored during clutch moments—defined as games within five points with less than five minutes remaining—with a total of 189.
In clutch situations, he maintained an impressive shooting average of 49.6% from the field, including 45.7% from three-point range, both exceeding his season averages.
Among Curry’s notable late-game feats were two game-winning shots: a 33-foot buzzer-beater against the Phoenix Suns on February 10th and a buzzer-beating layup to defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the In-Season Tournament.
“You’ve got to be able to fail,” Curry told broadcaster TNT during the televised announcement of the award.
“I don’t know if anything clicked other than just knowing how much time you put into the game and with that time comes deserved confidence of ‘OK, I’m ready for whatever moment,” he added.
Curry becomes only the second recipient of this award, following Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, who claimed the inaugural title last season.
He was shortlisted alongside DeMar DeRozan of the Chicago Bulls and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, with Gilgeous-Alexander also contending for the Most Valuable Player award.
Inspite of Curry’s clutch performances, the Warriors faced disappointment in the playoffs, finishing 10th in the Western Conference and being eliminated by the Sacramento Kings in the play-in tournament.
