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Steph Curry Explains Why He Got Emotional Passing Jerry West on NBA Scoring List

The Warriors star exploded for 52 points on Tuesday night.

Madison Williams

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts to making a shot.
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts to making a shot. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
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Stephen Curry had an explosive performance on Tuesday night as he scored 52 points including made 12 three-pointers en route to a 134–125 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Golden State Warriors star made some NBA history as well, passing the late, great Jerry West on the NBA's all-time scoring list to reach No. 25 on the rankings.

Curry admitted after the game that he was a bit emotional when he learned he passed West, who died in June at age 86. Curry had a personal relationship with West, who joined the Warriors in 2011 as an executive board member. West stayed with the organization through its second title in 2017.

Curry now works with West's son Jonnie, who is the Warriors' director of pro personnel, and the two embraced on the court after the game.

"I got a little emotional about that, that's special, obviously in our memory and what he meant to the league, to the world of basketball, to our organization when he worked here," Curry said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. "And my relationship with [Jonnie West]. I got to talk to him after the game, just to share a moment of what it meant for me, my family, the entire West family. So that is special. Just understanding what his career was, that's The Logo, so very special. I'll keep that ball and put it in a good place."

Curry has scored 25,205 points in his NBA career after his 52-point performance on Tuesday. West now sits in the 26th position with 25,192 points scored in his legendary career.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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