Smith calls Warriors fans ‘spoiled’ for wanting more Steph foul calls originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
It’s no secret Dub Nation believes Warriors star Steph Curry doesn’t get the whistle very often.
But TNT analyst Kenny Smith feels no sympathy for the point guard’s lack of foul calls.
“You guys are so spoiled, man,” Smith told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole and Bonta Hill on the latest “Dubs Talk” episode. “Guy is averaging close to 30 and you want to get him on the line 10 more times? C’mon, man. He’s averaging 30. No, I don’t pay any attention to that. I don’t, no. Steph Curry, you see him more than I do, you know he gets fouled.
“However, y’all are spoiled. You want Steph to get 10 free throws, too? Because you know he shoots [90 percent] from the line, so now he’s going to average 39? No, c’mon, y’all are so spoiled.”
So far during the 2024-25 NBA season, Curry ranks No. 48 in the league with 3.7 free-throw attempts per game. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo ranks No. 1 with 10.7 per game, but four other points guards are in the top 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (8.8), Trae Young (7.1), Jalen Brunson (7.1) and Damian Lillard (6.9).
Despite his perceived lack of foul calls, Curry always has been adamant that he doesn’t go looking for a whistle.
“I’ve never been a foul-baiter or worried about selling calls,” Curry told reporters after a game in February 2024. “I’ve made jokes like, ‘I got two free throws today.’ I cheered. Let out a nice little yell just being sarcastic.
“There’s maybe been two or three possessions in the last three games where you know, ‘Oh it should have been a foul.’ And then you get distracted arguing with a ref or whatever it is. I’ve been trying to not even engage with that.”
With a star player who has an attitude like that, perhaps Warriors fans are as spoiled as Smith suggests — but for different reasons.
Still, it’s hard not to imagine a world where a scorer like Curry gets to the free-throw line more often. Can you blame Dub Nation?
