Midas touch: how to shoot like four-time NBA champion Steph Curry

For almost the entire history of basketball, the number one thing that would help someone succeed was height. From Wilt Chamberlain to Shaquille O’Neal, the taller a player, the better. While height is still important, shooting is valued as much as any other attribute, thanks to the talent of 6ft 2in guard Stephen Curry. The four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP is taking his shooting prowess to the Olympics.

Since Curry became an overnight sensation with his three-point shooting—he’s the NBA’s all-time leader in threes made and attempted and has a career 42.6 percent shooting percentage from beyond the arc despite countless difficult shots—kids from New York City to Oakland have been grabbing their basketballs from the rim and standing behind the three-point line to shoot like Steph. But is it possible for anyone to do like him? If you ask Basketball Hall of Famer and former WNBA Coach of the Year Michael Cooper, there are ways to try.

“He always shoots the same way,” Cooper said. “Yeah, he changes the arc of it sometimes, sometimes it’s a little higher to get over a bigger defender, but everything before that shot leaves his hand is always the same.”

How to Shoot Like Steph

That’s the first key: maintain the same motion every time you shoot. So how does Curry do that? First, he keeps his shooting elbow tucked in close to his body. He also keeps his right foot, under his shooting hand, slightly in front of his back foot, and his feet shoulder-width apart. This positioning helps with accuracy because he has to align his elbow, hip, shoulder, and feet for balance. Next, Curry keeps the ball straight and moving upward at all times. He places his shooting hand under the ball, leaving a gap between the ball and his palm, allowing his fingertips to guide the shot in one fluid motion.

Sometimes, if he’s off-balance from coming off a screen or running away from a defender, he’ll right himself and execute his precise movement while in the air. To do this, he’ll jump higher than normal and maybe even create some separation with his leg. “He might shoot his leg out occasionally,” Cooper says, “but from the waist down, Steph Curry shoots the ball the same way.”

For Cooper, who was a member of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the 1980s and has coached in the NBA, WNBA, CBA and Big 3, there’s one acronym to remember for a jump shot. “I call it Beef,” he says. “Balance, eyes, elbow and follow-through.”

Cooper advises young players to keep their feet square to the basket, their eyes on the rim and their elbows tucked in as they prepare to release the ball. Then they should follow through with the shooting hand bent, fingers pointing toward the rim. “As you go through your game, you can say the word ‘Beef’ right before you get ready to shoot,” he says.

The five-time NBA champion recalls tips he learned from Hall of Famer Jerry West, who died in June. West would give a final hard dribble before shooting, so the ball would bounce in his hands. That way, he would start his move with the ball already in the air.

“Jerry West always told me, ‘Coop, you’ve got to bring your dribble to your jump shot,'” Cooper said. “That’s why Jerry West had such a quick release — that last dribble, to the right or left, brought him to his jump shot.”

Like West, when he prepares to shoot, Curry brings the ball up in one swift motion from his hips to above his head, maximizing the energy from his legs. This helps him shoot quickly because there is no wasted time or movement, and it provides the most power behind the shot. Curry, like all good shooters, continues to move the ball up above his eyes, finishes the shot with one hand, and then lets his left hand release the ball while his eyes remain focused on the goal.

Three important conclusions

• Confidence and a short memory. In the pros, Cooper coached Carmelo Anthony, Lisa Leslie, Kobe Bryant and Candace Parker. He says there’s no difference between the men’s and women’s games when it comes to shooting tips. “You look at a young lady like Caitlin Clark, all the mechanics are there now. Now it’s just repetition, confidence and a short memory. She’s got a short memory — that young lady can play.”

• Repetition. Cooper says he and Lakers teammate Magic Johnson would go outside one summer, find a gym, and shoot 200-300 3-pointers every day. He would rebound for Johnson, and Johnson would rebound for him. “Everything you want to do,” he says, “you have to do it all the time so it becomes a natural part of your game.”