He looks the same now as he did as a player, a wiry 6-foot-3 guard with a charming grin and an electric demeanor. He doesn't know what he did with the jersey or the shoes or the headband he used. NEARLY 10 YEARS later, Curry has nothing from the night he took the court for the Clippers. None played less than Curry's 3.9 seconds. According to Basketball Reference, there have been nine players who have appeared in only one career game and played a minute or less. To start the fourth, Jordan subs in for Curry, who sits on the bench for the rest of the 95-89 loss. I felt like I was home, like this is where I belong." Being out there, I just felt like a regular person, felt like a regular basketball player. "It was the quickest four seconds ever," Curry said after the game. "You know, if you think about it, I'm probably the highest paid player per second in NBA history." Curry is still there, right next to his man. Allen loses the handle on the ball and can't get his shot up before the buzzer sounds. Rondo drifts a few steps to his left to clear the way for Allen's drive. The Celtics inbound, Pierce swings the ball to Allen who takes a couple dribbles into the paint. He's guarding Rondo, who maneuvers toward the baseline under the basket. Rondo draws a foul with 3.9 seconds remaining in the third quarter when Clippers head coach Mike Dunleavy yells from his perch on the sideline.Ĭalled up three days earlier on a 10-day contract, Curry checks in. The Celtics are 28-13 and the juggernaut of the Eastern Conference - led by Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett - that would go on to lose in seven games to Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals. They're one year away from Blake Griffin's debut, two years away from Lob City. 25, 2010, and, headlined by Baron Davis, Marcus Camby and Chris Kaman, the Clippers are 20-23, four games out of the Western Conference's No. INSIDE BOSTON'S TD GARDEN, the Los Angeles Clippers had just witnessed a one-point halftime lead transform into a five-point third-quarter deficit. Archibald "Moonlight" Graham, " Field of Dreams" Back then I thought, 'Well, there'll be other days.' I didn't realize that that was the only day." "We just don't recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they're happening. You don't know it at the time, but you won't step foot on an NBA court in a game again.ĮSPN Daily Podcast: Why 3.9 seconds was just the beginning Run back toward the bench and get in the huddle. The clock is running, your name is in a box score now.Īnother second passes and the buzzer sounds. You fulfilled a promise to yourself and your family. Three-point-nine seconds are left on the clock. Take your spot on the floor, wait for the whistle to blow, and officially begin your NBA career. Take a deep breath, snap back to the present and call out your assignment. Maybe dream about yours hanging somewhere someday. Look around the arena, and in this one, see the numbers hanging from the rafters. Listen for your name echoing through the speakers, hoping the announcer says it correctly.Ĭhecking in for the Clippers, JamesOn Curry. Adjust your headband and make sure your shoes are tied tight. Pull the strings on your shorts tight and tuck in your jersey. Lean against it? Sit on the floor? Kneel? Tear off your warm-ups, toss them aside and trot to the scorer's table. Pop off the bench like you're sitting on a spring. HE'D REHEARSED THIS moment in his mind thousands of times. Editor's note: This story originally published on Aug.
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