The best shooter of all time. That’s what everyone has been calling Golden State’s Stephen Curry for years, for obvious reasons. No one in basketball history has made more 3-pointers or made the art of shooting a ball through a hoop look easier than Curry.

It has earned that distinction.

And it still seems that it has been underestimated.

The thing is, Wardell Stephen Curry II isn’t just the greatest shooter of all time. It’s time to finally call him out for who he is: one of the greatest players of all time. Go ahead, put it in the biggest conversation of all time. It’s a debate that will never end anyway, and he’s earned the right to be there for one simple reason.

It has changed the game. The 3-pointer is vital now, and Curry did it that way.

“I think he’s already established what he can do,” Warriors guard Klay Thompson said after the NBA Finals ended Thursday night with Golden State as champions and Curry as the NBA’s MVP. Finals. “But to see him win that, he’s one of the greatest of all time and we all followed his example and my God, that was amazing. That she laughs!

Yes, what series did Curry have.

And what a player, too.

Curry’s place in the Basketball Hall of Fame was secure long before Thursday night, when he scored 34 points and the Warriors won their fourth title in eight years by beating the Boston Celtics 103-90. What this meant, however, was clear. Curry was crying tears of joy before he finished the game, unable to contain his emotions any longer.

“I’m happy for everyone, but I’m excited for Steph,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said as he poured champagne in the champions’ locker room in Boston after Golden State’s victory. “To me, this is the biggest achievement for him in what has already been an incredible career.”

This was his crowning moment. For now, anyway.

There’s no reason to believe there can’t be a fifth ring for this Warriors era, as long as a healthy Curry leads the way.

“The best point guard of all time,” Golden State’s Andre Iguodala said.

Add that to the list, too. And the legend of him on the court only continues to grow. Curry, 34, is stronger than ever, tougher than ever and somehow more motivated than ever. He already had three rings entering this year, he has the record 3 points, more money than he could spend in 10 lifetimes and there isn’t a corner of the world where he isn’t known or revered. His wife Ayesha is a world class cook. He has birdied Augusta National.

Curry, by all measures, had nothing else to prove.

Apparently, he did not agree. When last season ended with a play-in tournament loss, Curry returned to work with this title in mind, knowing that few so-called pundits thought the Warriors had a chance to extend their dynasty. They had three titles and five trips to the finals in five years from 2015 to 2019, then injuries and roster changes sent them to the bottom of the NBA in 2020 and out of the playoff picture last year.

All forgotten now. Curry reigns again.

“Damn, we did it. It’s crazy to think about that,” Curry said. “All that talk paid off. Manifest your destiny in a certain way, and that stubbornness, who we are matters more than what they say about us, is the reason we are here.

His resume is ridiculous: Curry is an eight-time All-Star, two-time NBA MVP, once unanimously, two-time scoring champion, All-Star Game MVP, now a four-time champion, and finally NBA MVP. the NBA Finals, also by unanimous decree.

Not bad for a player who was No. 7 in his draft class, got kicked out of his first college practice at Davidson for being late, was plagued with worries about a lot of things in his early years in the NBA: He was too small, his ankles were really bad, and it took him five seasons just to make his first All-Star game.

“I thank God every day that I get to play this game at the highest level with incredible people,” Curry said on the ground as the celebration began, tears in his eyes, the ball tucked under one arm."This is what it’s all about."

Very few people saw this coming 13 years ago.

On the night Curry was drafted in 2009, after six players who have zero NBA championships combined heard their names before him, the Warriors made no effort to hide their excitement.

That said, it wasn’t exactly gushing praise, either.

“He’s a guy who’s going to fit in really well,” said Larry Riley, then the Warriors’ general manager.

It’s probably safe to say that Riley was right. Understated, sure, but correct.

Now he has more.

The fourth parade is on Monday. The fourth ring arrives this fall. The respect must be there forever now. He is no longer just a great shooter. It’s official: Stephen Curry is an all-time player.

“For Steph to win Finals MVP, and I know she said it doesn’t matter … but to add that to your resume as a competitor, you want it,” Warriors forward Draymond Green said. “For him, well deserved. It has been a long time in the making. But he left no doubt. He left no doubt. He carried us. And we are here as champions.”