This time of year is special in the NBA—not just for the intensity of playoff basketball, but also because it’s when the league celebrates some of its most meaningful honors. While I love the performance awards like Defensive Player or Rookie of the Year, it’s the extraordinary awards that truly stand out. These aren't about points or rebounds; they celebrate legacy, character, leadership, and the kind of impact that can’t be measured. These awards honor players who elevate not just their teams, but their communities—and the game itself. You don’t have to be a Golden State Warriors fan to recognize that Steph Curry embodies all of that. No wonder he is the 2025 Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year honoree.
Twelve players—six from each conference—are finalists for the Twyman–Stokes Teammate of the Year Award. While the league already honors sportsmanship with the Joe Dumars Trophy, the "Teammate of the Year" award recognizes selfless play, leadership on and off the court, as well as unwavering team commitment. These qualities, though sportsmanlike, reflect the legacy of the awards namesakes Jack Twyman and Maurice Stokes, for whom the award is named.
The award was announced by the league on April 28 and given by Coach Kerr to Steph Curry —after practice, standing mid court with the team and other coaches. Without a doubt, his work on the court is magnanimous. We are all witnesses to the greatest shooter of the day. And although I don't personally know Steph, from all that I have read, seen and encountered myself—I believe he's magnanimous off the court too.
He is great because he pays attention on a micro and macro level. He takes notice, he listens and he prays. That's magnanimity. I show the AppleTV movie about his life, "Underrated" to my students because I want them to see that for themselves. One of my favorite scenes early on features Steph riding solo on the subway. With his head leaning against the window he says, "I'm constantly trying to find the space just to be able to to survey my life, survey what's going onto let my mind think about, How did I get here?" Hard work. Determination. Faith, Kindness. Sacrifice. I think those might be a few ways to answer that question.
If being a good teammate means that you continue to improve, work harder and smarter then look no further than Steph. However, the story behind the award sets the stage for the criteria. According to SFGate, in 1958 Maurice Stokes "suffered a brain injury in the final game of the 1957-58 regular season, fell into a coma days later and became permanently paralyzed." He was just 24. In an extraordinary act of loyalty and compassion, Jack Twyman became Stokes' legal guardian and advocate, and supported him for the remaining 12 years of Stokes' life. Their relationship went beyond sports—it was about brotherhood, sacrifice, and selflessness.
I see those qualities in Steph Curry and this post by Mukurima X Muriuki, confirmed my hunch. It also catapulted Steph into first place: my favorite athlete of all time. Yes, I am biased. And yes, this is a true story. Enjoy.
It’s 2:30 a.m. at San Francisco International. Everyone is tired. The Golden State Warriors have just landed from a brutal road trip. Staff, coaches, and players scatter. Everyone eager to get home and crash.
Everyone except one guy.
Quinten Post.
He is a rookie, new to the league and still waiting for his big moment.
He doesn’t have a big contract, so he can only afford so much.
And it is in such ungodly hour when shit hits the fan. And it did
His Uber app would not load. And as a result he did not have a ride
Post is 7 feet tall. And that was the height of uncertainty, standing alone on the curb, invisible to most.
Except one.
Stephen (Múrage) Curry.
Two-time MVP.
Four-time champ.
Face of the franchise.
“You trying to get home?” Steph asked Post.
Post mumbles something, embarrassed. “It’s cool, I’ll figure it out.”
But Curry isn’t wired that way.
“I got you,” he replied
And just like that, the most recognizable athlete in the Bay Area becomes the most dependable teammate in the league.
Steph drives the rookie home—no cameras, no PR, just kindness at 2:30 in the morning.
“Out of the 50 people at that airport,” Post would later say, “Steph was the last person who had to care. But he did. That’s who he is.”
Isitoshe,
Now here is where the story bends.
Fast forward to Game 4 of the NBA playoffs this past weekend. Warriors vs. Rockets.
In a first quarter where Steph could not buy a bucket, ir is Quinten Post—yes, the same rookie once stranded at the airport—who catches fire.
He nails back-to-back threes, swats a shot into the fifth row, and screams into the crowd like he has been here before.
He hasn’t. But in that moment, he belongs.
Steph cheered on, like a proud big brother. Because he knew. He saw the worth in Post long before the world did.
Stephen Curry did not help him for clout. He helped him because that’s the culture he helped build—a team where no one is left behind.
May the day break!
A team where no one is left behind. That's what Twyman and Stokes did for one another. That's what Curry and Post have shared. It sounds a lot like the Kingdom we are called to build here and now.
And for what it's worth, Curry won "Sportsman of the Year in 2011." Congratulations Steph. We got you.
Photo Credits
Honors
Curry and Post
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