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Allen Iverson states Steph Curry ‘absolutely' is a top five all-time NBA player originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Allen Iverson has placed Steph Curry in his all-time top five players before, and he isn’t budging now.

“Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, Shaquille O’Neal,” Iverson said in an interview with CBS when asked about his all-time NBA top five.

Maurice Dubois of CBS questioned the Hall of Famer’s inclusion of Curry in the list. 

“Absolutely,” Iverson responded. “Never seen anything like him before in my life.” 

Iverson has given Curry his flowers before, telling the Warriors superstar, “You’re in my top five all day,” during the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend.

Curry shared his appreciation for the recognition during the following season on the “All the Smoke” podcast with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes.

“I ain’t never had a big head. That dude who I picked up a lot of game and inspiration from — he’s now looking at my game,” Curry said. “Some OGs, they don’t want to relinquish the praise. Same way we respect the OGs, we want it both ways. So when you do hear that, that means something.” 

Iverson isn’t the sole OG giving Curry praise. Another player in his top five list, O’Neal, has been a frequent Curry booster in recent years.

“I demand you fans to start putting Steph Curry in that greatest of all time conversation,” O’Neal declared during a TNT broadcast in March. “Just start putting him in the conversation. There’s [Michael Jordan], there’s Kobe [Bryant], there’s LeBron [James]. Start putting Steph in that conversation. I demand it.” 

Curry, 37, enters his 17^th NBA season with a plethora of accolades. He stands alone as the career 3-point leader and the only unanimous MVP in NBA history.

As G.O.A.T. and top five debates continue as they always do, the stars of the generations past still recognize Curry as one of the best to step on an NBA court. 

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How Hugo Gonzalez's historically big hands give him an edge on defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

If we told you who has the biggest hands ever measured at the NBA Scouting Combine, you wouldn’t be surprised to learn it’s Tacko Fall, the 7-foot-6 former Boston Celtics big man whose hand length measures 10.5 inches.

But you’ll definitely be surprised to learn who’s second on that list: Celtics rookie Hugo Gonzalez.

That’s right: The 6-foot-6 guard from Spain posted a hand length of 10.25 inches at the 2025 NBA Combine, the second-longest measurement in combine history behind only Fall.

We should note that hand length data at the combine only dates back to 2010, and that Gonzalez’s 10.25 inches are tied with two other players: Dexter Pittman and his current Celtics teammate, Xavier Tillman. But we should also reiterate that Gonzalez is a guard and is still just 19 years old, which means he could grow even more.

Celtics Insider Chris Forsberg caught up with Boston’s 2025 first-round pick at Celtics Media Day to get the skinny on how Gonzalez’s massive mitts give him an extra edge.

“You don’t realize it, but I guess some blocks that I got were touching with the very last part of my fingers. That’s helped,” Gonzalez told Forsberg. “If you’re going to go for a steal, you have bigger hands (to snatch the ball).”

Gonzalez’s hands aren’t just large, either — they’re also extremely flexible, as he demonstrated to Forsberg by contorting his pinkie and thumb in various uncomfortable directions.

“It’s super elastic, so I can push (my pinkie back),” Gonzalez said. “I have elastic hands.”

Gonzalez put those hands into action right away in Boston’s first preseason game Wednesday night, racking up three blocks and a steal in the Celtics’ 121-103 win.

“As soon as you can impact the game defensively, making the correct feel, the correct things, I think that’s the most important thing apart from having big plays or something like that,” Gonzalez told reporters after the game. “Just being correct defensively, so you can help the team to the win.”

The young guard, who spent the last three seasons with Real Madrid and debuted with the Spanish club when he was 16, plays with a relentless motor and boasts impressive defensive upside that was on display Wednesday night. He also showed flashes offensively, finishing with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting with a 3-pointer.

Gonzalez is still raw, and his NBA development may take time. But it’s clear why the rookie’s effort and physical traits appealed to president of basketball operations Brad Stevens.

Nine players typically get selected in the first round of every draft, and then it becomes a crapshoot. Those nine guys include Nikola Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Edwards, Cade Cunningham, Anthony Davis and Trae Young. That means anything can happen at the end of that opening round and the beginning of the second round, but we'll choose the best of the rest for this piece. 

Domantas Sabonis and Karl-Anthony Towns are often the next two players taken in the opening round, so we'll omit those big men as well.

Devin Booker, PHX

(ADP: 12.8)

I'm starting to see Booker creep into the first round of some drafts, and it's about time that everyone comes around. This perennial All-Star is in for a career-high usage rate, thanks to the Suns going into a rebuild. They've parted ways with Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, leaving Booker as the only true playmaker on this team. He'll play point guard next to Jalen Green after averaging a career-high 7.1 assists per game last year. His point total did dip to 25.6 points per game, but we expect Booker to get close to 30 since he's likely looking at 35-40 minutes and over 20 shots a night. This might be a bold call, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Booker have a Houston Harden-type season with a league-leading usage rate very much in play. 

James Harden, LAC

(ADP: 15.3)

Speak of the devil! We had Harden as one of our top recommendations in this same article last season, and he delivered a beautiful bounce-back campaign. The former MVP averaged 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 3.0 threes per game. Most importantly, Harden played 79 games last year and has played at least 65 games in all but two years throughout his 16-year career. All the players in the Top 30 post superstar statistics, but the reliability of a 70-game season can't be overlooked from a fantasy perspective. Drafting a 36-year-old always feels risky in the first round, but the consistency speaks for itself. The only real concern is the depth of this roster, but that could lead to Harden creeping back to double-digit assists like we've seen throughout most of his career. 

Kevin Durant, HOU  

(ADP: 19.0)

There simply aren't many players as special as KD. This 15-time All-Star is entering his first season with the Houston Rockets and looks poised for another monster season. In a "down" 2024-25 campaign, Durant averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 1.2 blocks and 2.6 threes per game. He also shot 53 percent from the field, 43 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the free-throw line. Having an all-around stat line like that is one thing, but adding elite shooting is truly ridiculous. What's even more absurd is that this stat line has been the norm since 2008, so why would we expect anything different this season? The injury question marks, aging and fresh team dynamics are obviously in play, but KD will always be a top-25 player in fantasy until he retires.

Stephen Curry, GSW  

(ADP: 17.1)

It's funny that we have these three aging superstars in here, but it's telling of how many people overlook these guys in drafts. We actually had Harden, Durant and Curry in the same piece last season! Everyone wants the shiny new toys or the mystery box, but these veterans are as safe as it gets. The aging and injuries are the only real concerns with a superstar like Curry, but he still averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.1 steals and 4.4 threes per game last year. Curry shot 45 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 93 percent from the free-throw line as well. That sort of shooting is why Curry has been a top-10 player for nearly two decades, and he should remain the focal point of this Warriors offense. We're also encouraged that Curry has played at least 63 games in four of the last five years, and the addition of Jimmy Butler should help open things up for this offense while making Golden State more competitive.

Amen Thompson, HOU  

(ADP: 25.5)

We've presented some unmistakable options to enter the opening round, but let's get one youngster in here that's a bit outside the norm. I'm not advocating that Thompson should be selected in the first round this season, but he seems like one of the most likely guys to enter that realm next year. This 22-year-old showcased an elite fantasy resume in his sophomore season, averaging 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. Having defensive numbers like those is nearly impossible to find, and this kid is only scratching the surface of what he could become. Thompson took over ball-handling duties at times in the second half of last season and could be the primary point guard with Fred VanVleet out for the year. We could see Thompson's scoring approach 20 points per game while handing out 5-6 assists a night. Adding that nearly double-digit rebound total and 2.7 stocks per game could have Thompson looking like a top-10 player this season. 

Other Players in Consideration:

Tyrese Maxey, PHI (ADP: 19.9)

Alperen Sengun, HOU (ADP: 19.6)

Evan Mobley, CLE (ADP: 20.1)

LaMelo Ball (ADP: 29.7)