NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
How Steph Curry inspired 49ers rookie Dominick Puni’s professionalism originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SANTA CLARA — Like many sports fans in the Bay Area, standout 49ers rookie Dominick Puni’s life heavily has been influenced by the captivating greatness of Golden State Warriors superstar point guard Stephen Curry.
Growing up in Eastern Missouri, Puni didn’t have an NBA franchise to root for in nearby St. Louis. However, at an early age, his attention was grabbed by a scrappy upstart team on the West Coast led by a player on the verge of changing the sport of basketball forever.
“It was like 2012, I was in middle school. I didn’t really have a favorite team, my older brother Devin would not stop talking about Steph,” Puni told NBC Sports Bay Area. “He’s [Devin] a die-hard too. And I started watching, and I think 2012-13 is when they started getting good and started getting some playoff wins, and I just loved the way he played the game. Changed the game.
“He’s not the biggest guy out there, but his efficiency is through the roof. The more I learned about basketball, the more I learned how important he is and how great he really is.”
Curry’s basketball accomplishments speak for themselves. A four-time NBA champion and two-time league MVP with 10 All-NBA and All-Star nods to his name — Curry undoubtedly will go down as one of the greatest athletes of his generation.
As decorated as Curry’s résumé is, where he truly made an impact on Puni — and so many other kids growing up watching Warriors basketball — is how the NBA star graciously carried himself off the court in his day-to-day life.
“I think it’s just the type of person he is, really,” Puni said. “On the court, I mean his effort is ridiculous. His work ethic is ridiculous. I really like the person. Any time he talks to the media or [the] public, he’s just awesome. He seems like a great family man, everyone talks so highly of him, and I think that’s the cool thing. Like when you have so much noise around you and so much attention, you don’t have to be that cool, but he is.”
Coincidentally, cool is the perfect adjective to describe Puni’s demeanor….
Source link : https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/steph-curry-inspired-49ers-rookie-144113252.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-23 14:46:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
