It was supposed to be a harmless joke â a light post-practice comment about Al Horfordâs hot shooting streak since joining the Golden State Warriors. But in classic Stephen Curry fashion, what came next instantly went viral, sending shockwaves (and laughter) across the NBA.
When Horford proudly told reporters, âI havenât missed a three since I got here,â Curry grinned, paused, and fired the shot heard âround the basketball world:
âThatâs what they call the Steph effect. When youâre in Boston, thatâs what they call the Tatum effect â thatâs why you missed.â đ
The gym erupted. Even Horford couldnât hold back his laughter. The quote hit social media within minutes, and by morning, it had become one of the most talked-about moments in the NBA community.
Because when Steph Curry roasts, he does it with precision â the same kind he uses from 30 feet out.
Fans on X (formerly Twitter) exploded with reactions. âSteph doesnât just shoot threes â he shoots souls,â one user wrote. Another joked, âTatum just took an L from 3,000 miles away.â Even Warriors teammates chimed in, calling it âvintage Curry energy.â
Itâs not the first time Curry has delivered a mic-drop moment aimed at the Boston Celtics. Ever since the Warriors defeated them in the 2022 NBA Finals â with Curry taking home Finals MVP â thereâs been a quiet, simmering rivalry between the two franchises. Boston fans have never quite gotten over that loss. And Curry? He hasnât stopped reminding them whoâs on top.
Still, this one felt different. It wasnât just a random jab â it was surgical. Curry didnât even mention Tatum directly after that line, just smiled and walked away. The message was clear: you donât mess with the chef unless youâre ready to get cooked.
As the clip spread across ESPN, Bleacher Report, and every basketball meme page on the internet, Tatumâs fans tried to clap back. Some pointed out that heâs averaging career highs in points and efficiency. Others said Curryâs âdad jokesâ were getting old. But deep down, everyone knew â when Steph talks, the league listens.
What makes this burn sting even more is how true it feels. The âSteph effectâ isnât just a phrase â itâs basketball folklore. Players who join Curryâs orbit almost always improve from deep. Just look at Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, or even Kevin Durant during their runs with Golden State. The gravity Curry creates changes games â and, apparently, confidence levels.
Meanwhile, over in Boston, Tatum has been fighting to shake off criticism about inconsistency in clutch moments. So when Steph casually tied his name to missing shots… it cut deeper than any headline.
By the time the Warriorsâ practice ended, reporters were still laughing, players were still replaying the clip, and Tatumâs name was trending â for all the wrong reasons.
Curry walked off the court smiling, knowing exactly what heâd done. Another day, another shot â this time, not from the arc, but straight to the ego.
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