The NBA officially announced on Monday morning that Golden State guard Stephen Curry has been named MVP.
It’s hard to believe that the kid that couldn’t even get a scholarship offer from his dad’s alma mater -- Virginia Tech -- was named the best player in the world for the 2014-15 season.
I’ll never forget when Curry officially jumped the shark, using the 2008 NCAA tournament to launch himself from the college basketball junky’s favorite mid-major darling to bonafide basketball star. It started with an opening round game against No. 7 Gonzaga in which Curry scored 30 of his 40 points in the second half:
In the round of 32, Curry went for 30 points in a win over No. 2 seed Georgetown:
Then, in the Sweet 16, Curry went off for 33 points in a win over No. 3 Wisconsin. Curry’s iconic collegiate moment -- his twisting, and-one layup near the end of this clip -- came in this game:
And finally, in the Elite 8, Curry scored 25 points against eventual national champion Kansas, but the Wildcats came up two points short of reaching the Final Four:
My favorite Curry moment came during his junior season. Curry scored 44 points in a win over N.C. State, including this clutch, 35-foot three with 1:30 left in front of LeBron James, one of the guys Curry just beat out for the MVP award: