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New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce

Listen Now: Mind the Game - The Stephen Curry Interview

01 May 2026

Transcription

Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Chapter 1: What insights do LeBron James and Steve Nash share about Stephen Curry's career?

0.031 - 8.218 Travis Kelce

To all the 92 percenters, we're dropping something in the feed today we think you basketball fans are going to love.

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8.266 - 16.437 Jason Kelce

All right. If you haven't heard it yet, LeBron James and Steve Nash have an incredible podcast. That's right. It's called Mind the Game. And I'm not going to lie, it's pretty next level.

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16.797 - 34.341 Travis Kelce

I would assume it would be unbelievable as I am a fan of both of their games. Yeah, this is for students of the game, though. LeBron and Nash are legends. And on Mind the Game, they get into the X's and O's and tactical breakdowns that really help you appreciate the game.

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34.321 - 46.579 Jason Kelce

Yeah, I mean, when LeBron James is breaking down plays, you're talking strategy with Steve Nash, you're going to get deep into the brains of two actual basketball geniuses. So, I mean, it's pretty much a master class in basketball.

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46.839 - 56.413 Travis Kelce

And here's the thing. They also talk about mindset, preparation, and the mental side of the game that applies to basketball, football, and your life.

56.461 - 64.22 Jason Kelce

Exactly. Whether you're a basketball fan or just someone who wants to understand what it is like to compete at the highest level, this show has got something for you.

64.4 - 70.734 Travis Kelce

So do yourself a favor. Go check out Mind the Game. You're going to learn something. I guarantee it.

71.054 - 87.278 Steve Nash

All right. And here's Steve Nash to tell you a little bit more about the show. Hey, 92 Percenters. Steve Nash here. Here's a clip from one of our latest episodes to give you a taste of what LeBron and I get into. If you like what you hear, check out Mind the Game wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can watch on YouTube or Prime Video.

99.695 - 105.021 Stephen Curry

Thank you for doing this.

Chapter 2: How did Stephen Curry rewire his shooting mechanics early in his career?

143.944 - 148.77 Stephen Curry

I'm like, all right, it's go time. And it's the best, I think, best golf I've played in my life.

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148.936 - 172.57 LeBron James

And it's so funny, I was watching one of the holes, I don't know what hole it was, and you was like, I'm going to give it a little grunt. One of his drives said, and he got him on the drive. And Bryson, obviously this is what he does. Oh, I can tell in his voice. When they got up to the ball, he was like. I think that's your ball. He was like, oh, man, I outdrove him. Like, it was crazy.

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172.59 - 193.742 LeBron James

He didn't want to give it to me. I think one of the good parts, too, that I was watching, too, and you was – I think Bryson asked you a question like, who's your inspirations? Like, you know, obviously in the game that we all love. Oh, yeah, yeah. You know, and you mentioned Steve and you mentioned Reggie, you know. And obviously Reggie makes so much sense and it's terrifying to –

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194.38 - 206.22 LeBron James

like myself and all the competition over the years. How did that, what made you kind of watch those guys from the beginning? You know, it's funny that I'm sitting across from you talking about the life.

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206.24 - 216.95 Stephen Curry

I mean, we all got history in the game of playing against each other and the whole deal, but My rookie year, we played in a pre-season game outside in Palm Springs.

Chapter 3: What did Don Nelson think about the impact of weight training on shooting?

217.251 - 238.084 Stephen Curry

Indian Wells, Tennessee. Yeah, Indian Wells. It was my first time actually seeing him on the court and to the point of inspiration. Super intimidating. Just seeing him across, I still do some of your, when you're in the starting line, or the national anthem, the line, you just do like the little leg stuff. I still do it. I still do it.

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238.184 - 256.922 Stephen Curry

He was like, I was watching everything you did from across the court, but growing up, like, I knew, I was a pass first type of point guard. Yeah. Like, my dad had to actually tell me to shoot more. Bullshit. Nah. Call Dale Curry right now, and he'd tell you, they actually had to tell me to shoot more. He was like, no. Not in this house. Not in this house, you ain't gonna be there.

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256.902 - 279.889 Stephen Curry

But I always just loved the creativity. I felt like we had similar statures where as a point guard, being able to handle, being in the trees, getting the ball where you need it to. You saw angles that didn't even make sense. Your change of speed, you could control the tempo, got everybody involved. There was just something fun about that. That is the way that I wanted to play.

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279.869 - 302.249 Stephen Curry

Fast forward to Davidson, I was a two-guard and had to kind of expand. I mean, I was, there's a video of me as a 10-year-old running around with a Reggie jersey just because, you know, I just love his competitiveness and the way he moved off the ball. I didn't know, like, that would be a huge part of my game once I got to, like, how am I going to actually make it to the league type vibe.

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302.269 - 315.17 Stephen Curry

But that was, your style was, like, exact. I just tried to auto behind the back pass to this day, one-handed, left-handed, like, all that type of stuff. just seeing the floor a little different. It felt like he was kind of the model for that.

315.511 - 326.931 LeBron James

And what about your pops too? I mean, obviously the inspiration that you saw every day, but like as your pops being a pro itself, anything like you took from his game, like, I mean, the quick release was crazy.

Chapter 4: What moment made Stephen Curry realize his impact on the game?

326.991 - 347.273 Stephen Curry

Every video you see of him, he's sitting in the corner, one here, one dribble, and then the quick release. He had the high arcing release too. I couldn't get that. So it was like almost comparison and contrast of I want to be a great shooter, I want to have a quick release, but I also have to own my own form. I can't really... It has to go in at the end of the day. Yeah, you know what I'm saying?

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347.293 - 348.755 Stephen Curry

You got to feel comfortable with what you're doing.

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349.236 - 351.338 Steve Nash

Did you guys ever talk about it, like quick release?

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351.318 - 370.891 Stephen Curry

Yeah, we talked about that a lot. When I was in high school, changing my form, I used to do like the little slingshot situation. And to the point of seeing, when I watched myself on camera, I was like, that thing looked like it'd take forever to get up there. But to your point, it went in. But as I got to varsity, I was like, you know. It's probably not going to work.

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370.911 - 372.993 Stephen Curry

That thing's getting swatted to the eighth row.

373.073 - 374.855 LeBron James

And you was able to dissect that?

375.316 - 395.998 Stephen Curry

No, my dad. Your dad, okay, okay. My dad called it out as I was making that transition. I wasn't with it at first. Right, right. Because I knew he was going to have to break down all the fundamentals of everything that I felt comfortable with to then master like a new form. It felt like too much. Yeah. It was like, I don't want to do extra credit on the homework. I already know the formula.

396.298 - 400.022 Stephen Curry

I got to recreate it. And obviously it worked.

400.002 - 415.229 Steve Nash

But I feel like someone who loves shooting, shot a million shots, always obsessed with it, watching you shoot, I think I have a bit of a classic shot. I get it to the clay, get it to the pocket and shoot.

Chapter 5: How do LeBron and Steph analyze Finals film together?

415.309 - 430.26 Steve Nash

What I think you brought to the game, and I'd love for you to tell me I'm full of it, is you don't really stop. So like you talked about this shot as a kid to now it's the same shot but up here. Like I don't really feel like you stop and if you do it's like the split second.

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430.28 - 446.315 Stephen Curry

Only probably on like just standard catch and shoot where I always tell people like I would teach clay's form to anybody who said, hey, how do I shoot a basketball? I would like pull up a clip of a clay. And it's just, that's freaking perfect. 10 out of 10, no notes, right?

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447.857 - 468.907 Stephen Curry

But to your point, it helped me off the dribble because it's kind of, I wouldn't call it unorthodox, but it is a one-piece shot that no matter if you're really all the way on balance or just off, or if you got it on the right hand, left hand, off the dribble, like whatever it is, I kind of can get it here quick enough that, and I still have all my power. I don't lose anything through that.

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468.928 - 480.685 Stephen Curry

So that's helped me, especially at 6'3", like in the league. No matter who's in front of you, you really feel like I have a chance. As long as I get them to drop their hands a little bit, I can get it up there quick, and I don't want to have any wasted motion.

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481.087 - 483.112 Steve Nash

Was that by design or was that just happened?

483.453 - 491.914 Stephen Curry

That's just how I shot it. There wasn't much thought to that part other than when I was in high school doing that transformation, I guess you call it.

491.934 - 503.643 Steve Nash

Because I also feel like that is a part of your range. Is that you, like... Instead of stopping and having to use all your legs, you're using it all in one motion. So, like, he just kept backing up.

505.728 - 516.633 LeBron James

Where's this going? And it's like a flick. Like, I got an opportunity to see it this, you know, last summer. You know, first time I was joining forces. I got to see it after practice every day, just like a... flick. It didn't matter.

517.134 - 517.254 Jason Kelce

Right.

Chapter 6: What mindset and preparation strategies does Stephen Curry discuss?

522.399 - 522.54 Jason Kelce

Mm hmm.

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522.56 - 541.43 LeBron James

In in order for them to even get to here or how it's like when he touched the ball by the time he does what he needs to here, it doesn't matter where it's coming from. It come from here. Come from here. Quick, quick, quick, like and and it's a great question. It's like, did that, did that Did you learn that, or it just kind of happened?

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542.371 - 564.843 Stephen Curry

It's kind of just naturally just happened. There's always a reset, like summertime, when you're working on mechanics. My guy, Brandon Payne, we'll talk about it, and if I miss two or three in a row and you start looking, I'll know it's because I don't have the ball. If we're talking middle of the frame, I don't have it more middle to right. I'm more kind of doing that. You get a little lazy.

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565.364 - 571.843 Stephen Curry

I still have to call that out, but then once you get into it, The game and the flow, there's not much thought to it.

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571.891 - 592.923 Steve Nash

But it's interesting because necessity is the mother of invention. You kind of invented something. You got on to be the greatest shooter of all time by a long margin. Range, accuracy, dexterity, off the move, left, right, leaning in, leaning back. You do it all. But I don't know if you could do that if you had picture perfect form.

592.983 - 606.644 Steve Nash

I'm not saying you don't, but you invented a way of going through the zone. Like you said, off the dribble, like it's up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And that gave you more range and that gave you more dexterity. Like, by the way, it's not really re-creatable.

608.106 - 624.81 Stephen Curry

I'm not telling kids, hey, it's so, you know. So Bruce Frazier, we use you as an example a lot when I'm doing a breakdown drill. Like I'll do like pregame stuff or after practice stuff where to the point of being able to get to my base. He'll bring you up as a demonstration.

625.711 - 636.75 Stephen Curry

You have such a solid foundation where you get your hips down, get low, like you're feeling every part of your foot, your feet, and you're using all of that force to kind of get through.

636.791 - 637.752 Steve Nash

Pushing in the ground.

Chapter 7: How has Stephen Curry's shooting style evolved over the years?

715.868 - 736.386 LeBron James

There's a lot of guys that we've seen come in at a certain weight or a certain, you know, body frame and they're told to put on weight or they're told to put on strength and it can affect their shot. You know, and... It's actually, there's no way it could have made it better. But shit, it seems like nothing ever changed. How was that? Like, did that worry you in the beginning?

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736.406 - 738.27 LeBron James

Like, oh shit, y'all tell me I got to get stronger.

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738.33 - 757.392 Stephen Curry

Funny story. So like my rookie year in training camp, so I came in as a shooter in the draft. Right. Don Nelson was my coach. And going through training camp, sorry, summer league started, I think I probably shot like low 30s for three in summer league.

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758.354 - 774.308 Stephen Curry

And then you're coming into training camp, you know, a couple months later, like still working, getting through, trying to get comfortable with where shots are coming from. And Don Nelson... He went in the weight room because, to your point, I came in 180 pounds maybe. They were trying to get me in the weight room doing all these lifts and stuff.

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774.429 - 793.238 Stephen Curry

I'm shooting, like, trash in training camp, like, the first week. He walked in there and cussed out everybody in the room. It was like, y'all are killing the shot. He's lifting too much weight. And to me, I didn't know that as a concept because, like, I always just wanted to get stronger. Like, most of it was just vanity. Like, hey, most of it. They look better in the jersey.

793.378 - 813.477 Stephen Curry

All these mirrors around here. Y'all telling me I got to look like this. No, I'm trying to look like this. I didn't even think about it in terms of shot. I know that there are, there's a range of like body composition that matters to making sure everything moves right. So if you're, you know, if you're doing a big transformation, you can't change how your body moves.

814.25 - 830.485 Stephen Curry

I never thought I could get to that point, but then when he called it out, I was like, wait, are they really messing up my shot? But that balance of being able to appropriately get your body to move efficiently, a lot of it, to me, is core strength. If we're talking specifics, everything is about the foundation.

830.685 - 841.535 Stephen Curry

How does your body move through that range where you have complete control of your movement patterns? Not necessarily like brute strength, but efficiency. Stability.

841.555 - 851.968 Steve Nash

Yeah, for sure. Hope you guys enjoyed that. If you want to hear more, remember to check out Mind the Game wherever you get your podcasts. And thanks to Jason and Travis for having us on the feed.

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