Stephen Curry’s dazzling dribble moves and step-back three provided Cedric Coward his definitive "Welcome to the NBA" reality check.
Memphis Grizzlies rookie Cedric Coward knew he belonged in the NBA the moment he was drafted — but Stephen Curry still made sure to give him a proper introduction.
In a recent interview with HoopsHype during All-Star Weekend, Cedric Coward described the exact play that delivered his personal “Welcome to the NBA” moment — and it came at the hands of Stephen Curry.
“Yes, I have,” Coward told HoopsHype when asked if he’d experienced that rite of passage.
Coward then detailed the sequence.
“We played the Warriors,” Coward told HoopsHype. “Steph Curry hit me with a surplus of dribble moves, stepped back three on the left wing, and splashed it. And then did his little shimmy thing, running back down the court.”
For a player who grew up watching moments like that on television, the perspective shift was immediate.
“For me, watching on TV, it seemed so fun. It seemed so cool,” Coward told HoopsHype. “But then getting scored on, I was like, ‘Yeah, this not that fun anymore.’”
The sequence wasn’t just a highlight. It was a reminder of the margin between competing in the NBA and simply observing it.
Coward has carved out a meaningful role during his rookie season with Memphis, averaging 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 48 games while shooting 46.8 percent from the field. His production earned him a Rising Stars selection during All-Star Weekend, a notable accomplishment for a player who appeared in just six college games the year before entering the league.
But as Coward explained to HoopsHype, the adjustment to NBA competition isn’t about a single matchup — it’s about realizing that the talent level extends across the entire roster.
“You’re playing with the best players in the world,” Coward told HoopsHype. “It’s a huge gap between NBA players and everybody else.”
That lesson didn’t stop with Curry.
“When I was guarding KD, he just shot over me,” Coward told HoopsHype, referencing Kevin Durant. “Like I’ve never had anybody do that in my life.”
He paused before delivering the conclusion that many rookies eventually reach.
“But you know, those Hall-of-Fame caliber players, man.”
For Memphis, a team sitting at 20-33 and navigating injuries throughout the roster, Coward’s emergence has been one of the few steady positives. The Grizzlies are currently 11th in the Western Conference, and with Ja Morant sidelined for at least the next three weeks due to a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow, the development of young contributors like Coward remains critical.
Morant has averaged 19.5 points and 8.1 assists in 20 appearances this season, but Memphis has struggled to find consistency, posting a 7-13 record in games he has played and 13-20 without him.
For Coward, however, the Curry moment represented something less about wins and losses and more about perspective.
On television, the shimmy is entertainment. On the court, it’s education.
And for a rookie learning the difference in real time, that lesson may prove more valuable than any stat line.