SAN FRANCISCO — Last December, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry deliberately flashed a smile before calmly sinking two crucial free throws with just 12 seconds remaining, helping secure a 119-116 victory over Phoenix.
Despite appearing composed, the veteran guard later admitted he felt anything but calm inside. Even after 17 seasons in professional basketball and at age 38, Curry still experiences nerves during high-pressure situations.
“That’s more mental warfare for me to just enjoy the moment,” Curry said at the time. “I don’t care how many free throws you’ve made, when you need two of them, you do get nervous, so the smile is more to kind of embrace the moment and enjoy it instead of overthinking or worrying about mechanics or anything. So I’ve been doing that a lot lately, like last couple years, just playing mind games with myself and enjoying the moment.”
Fellow professional athletes draw encouragement from Curry’s honest admission about his struggles with anxiety, particularly given his elite status in basketball. The willingness of stars to discuss mental challenges publicly represents a significant shift, reflecting broader conversations about mental health awareness and seeking support during difficult times.
Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, whose team has captured the last two World Series championships, witnessed Curry’s clutch performance from the Chase Center stands on December 20th.
Having observed numerous Dodgers players excel during high-stakes October playoff games, Roberts understands the mental challenges involved.
“I think that’s telling that Steph would say that and there is an innate fear in people to fail in big spots or to be nervous. I think it’s just important to admit it at times and then kind of move on from there,” Roberts explained this spring. “We were talking about it a couple days ago, those moments I think you mitigate the fear or the nerves from preparedness. I think Steph has shot so many free throws when he’s tired in big spots, so to admit that he’s nervous, he knows at the end of the day that he’s prepared for that spot. Most of our guys, we talk about that a lot, so I think that’s how they can get past that fear or nerve hurdle.”
Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan conducted an informal survey among his players this season, asking whether they viewed a free throw with one second remaining in a tied contest differently from one attempted during the opening quarter of a tied game. The response was unanimously affirmative.
“I said, ‘Why is it different?’ and they explained all the consequences of what would happen, but the reality is it’s still the same exact shot it is in the first quarter or the second quarter,” Donovan explained. “And I find that guys in those moments have the ability to block out the consequences or what the ramifications are and really lock in to what they can control and the routine. The basket’s still 15 feet away, it’s still 10 feet high. And just because the circumstances may be different, the routine should be exactly the same.”
Mental performance specialist Graham Betchart recommends a specific strategy for managing nervousness that involves converting fear of failure into positive energy.
“The biggest surprise to most people is that great pro athletes have the same feeling that a kid has, they just reframe it,” Betchart explained. “I remember one of the first pros I worked with, I said, ‘What’s pressure like for you?’ He said, ‘Graham, what you call pressure, I call joy.’ I said, ‘What does joy feel like?’ He said, ‘Joy feels like I’m going to pee in my pants, 10,000 butterflies in my stomach, heart is pounding, self doubt everywhere.’ I said, ‘That’s joy?’ He said, ‘Yeah, ’cause when I feel that I’m about to go do what I love, which is play ball.’ So we call that reframing. I think this is one of the biggest unlocks in the entire world.”
Hall of Fame player and current Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, who enjoyed a 19-season NBA career as a 10-time All-Star and 1994-95 Rookie of the Year, believes fans sometimes overlook that professional athletes are human beings who experience natural stress responses.
“It is healthy. I think that just lets everyone know you’re human. Steph is human,” Kidd observed. “There are feelings and emotions but I don’t know if he gets nervous. Free throws are like layups for him, like 2-foot putts. But it’s also great that he is open to sharing that about his feelings, that’s pretty cool.”
Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton follows a daily routine of attempting to sink 10 consecutive free throws during practice. This preparation helps him maintain perspective during actual games: “Whatever happens, happens, you’ve just got to live with the results, but sometimes getting to the free-throw line can help you get into a rhythm and get your shot going, too.”
Even coaches experience similar pressures. Doc Rivers acknowledges uncertainty about making optimal decisions during critical moments.
“There’s nerves with everything. I can draw up a play as a coach and I know it’s a good play, but I’m nervous if we’re going to run it right or is it going to work. As a player, I was an 80-percent free-throw shooter, but it’s still there. That’s why you breathe deep and that’s where routine comes in. The more you do the routine, the more it becomes normal. But there’s nothing normal in life when you’re shooting a free throw and there’s 20,000 people screaming to make you miss, that’s not normal in life. So you have to breathe your way through it.”
Oakland Athletics pitcher Luis Severino, who spent his first nine major league seasons playing for New York teams including the Yankees and Mets, understands how external pressure can intensify personal struggles on challenging days.
“I think it’s more of how you’re feeling that day. If Stephen Curry is feeling like he always feels, there’s nothing to worry about,” Severino said, laughing. “If that day I’m feeling good, I have nothing to worry about. If I’m struggling with command and or a pitch, not commanding my breaking balls, I will get a little bit nervous, but if I’m good that day I have nothing to worry about.”
San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames found validation in learning that Curry also battles nerves during pivotal moments.
“I think it’s a great thing, I think it’s something that you have to embrace and know that it’s OK to feel it,” Adames said. “I always try to tell myself, ‘if you feel a little nervous or a little anxious, just embrace it like it’s OK, it’s OK to feel it. But just know that you’ve got to take a deep breath and try to make sure that you’re under control.”
Betchart believes professional athletes discussing their nervousness publicly will help others develop better coping strategies. Through his work with Army personnel who initially claimed to be fearless, he discovered they actually experience fear but accept it as an occupational reality.
“They’re not fearless, they feel the fear, and then they lean into it,” he explained. “So it’s really a power of vulnerability, it’s a victory of the vulnerable.”
