Celebrities, Law Schools, Sports

What Law Students And Young Lawyers Can Learn From NBA MVP Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry's ability to rebound from adversity may be his greatest strength of all, according to columnist Renwei Chung.

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“I been Steph Curry with the shot / Been cooking with the sauce / Chef curry with the pot, boy.” — Drake

Many fans know Stephen Curry as a baby-faced assassin for his shooting prowess. His basketball-handling skills are legendary and his court awareness is unmatched. But I would argue his ability to rebound from adversity may be his greatest strength of all. In law and in life, our reactions to certain events can be just as important as our everyday actions.

Curry may have been able to stand on the shoulder of a giant, but he had to overcome personal set-backs as well to reach his current level of success. Sure, Curry’s father was a former NBA player, but this never guaranteed he would become the Most Valuable Player of the league.

Growing up, it was Curry’s dream to play for Virginia Tech, his father’s alma mater. After not receiving a scholarship from Virginia Tech, Curry decided to attend Davidson, a school not exactly known for its basketball prowess. For various reasons, many law students are also unable to attend their respective dream schools. Some students see this is as the ultimate setback, other students use the rejection letters as motivational tools throughout their legal careers.

During his time at Davidson, Curry received accolades and ultimately national recognition after his sterling performances in the NCAA tournament. Not only did he prove that he was able to compete with the more highly hyped and decorated players of traditional basketball programs, Curry proved he could beat them. By end of his collegiate experience, Curry had developed a reputation as a giant-slayer.

There are countless top-ten picks, college players of the year, and stars from mid-major schools that end up being busts in the NBA. Even after being selected seventh in the draft, no one really expected Curry to develop into a franchise player. Regardless of your law school affiliation or law school experience, the quality of work, ethical judgment, and networking ability you display throughout your career will be the determining factor of your success.

Monta Ellis, a Golden State player at the time, thought drafting Curry was a mistake and stated that he and Curry would not be able to co-exist. No doubt, Curry was hurt by this statement and wary of his new environment. However, he was able to endure personal conflicts early in his NBA career by displaying the same resolve he had throughout high school and college.

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Throughout Curry’s first three NBA seasons, his team never won more than 36 (out of 82) games. In fact, due to severe ankle problems, Curry had to miss 54 games in his first four seasons. Curry’s will, determination, and resolve helped him to overcome potentially fatal factors early in his career. Some students aced all of their finals in their first and second semesters. For others, it may have taken some time to learn the game. In sports, people often say it is not how you start, it is how you finish. Could the same be said of law school?

This season, Curry’s team won 67 regular season games (five wins short of Michael Jordan’s Bulls 1996 record-setting season) and is the number one seed in the NBA playoffs. Curry was selected as the regular-season MVP and is off to a strong start in the playoffs.

Many will cite his shooting ability, ball-handling skills, and court awareness as reasons why he won the MVP. I would argue it was Curry’s ability to rebound from tough situations, his resolve during conflicts, and his ability to adjust to the NBA that has made him an even greater standout among his peers than he was in college.

Law school is just the beginning of our legal careers. Some will be able to clerk or join a firm immediately upon graduation. Others may struggle for several months to obtain legal employment. Regardless, we will all face tough challenges and obstinate obstacles throughout our legal careers. Just remember, it is not how you start, it is how you finish.

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Renwei Chung is the Diversity Columnist at Above the Law. You can contact Renwei by email at projectrenwei@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter (@renweichung), or connect with him on LinkedIn. 

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