Steph Curry Unveils the Soccer Powerhouse That Sparked the Warriors' Championship Blueprint
Stephen Curry disclosed that the Golden State Warriors adopted Barcelona's renowned "tiki-taka" philosophy to craft an attacking strategy that led to four NBA championships across eight seasons.
The basketball icon recently appeared alongside fellow stars LeBron James and Steve Nash on their Mind the Game podcast, where he admitted that Warriors head coach Steve Kerr consistently presented footage of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona squad to implement a fresh system upon his arrival before the 2014–15 campaign.
"When we entered training camp, he [Kerr] displayed footage of, I cannot recall which soccer team," Curry mentioned before Nash interjected with Barcelona. "Tiki-taka, correct?," Curry acknowledged.
"He [Kerr] discussed that as a methodology for generating scoring opportunities, how we would, you know, maintain simplicity, force the defense to make countless decisions during a possession so we could locate the optimal shot."
Curry's ex-teammate Klay Thompson similarly acknowledged Barcelona's role in the Warriors' achievements following their 2022 NBA Finals victory.
"Complete recognition to Steve [Kerr], he arrived with a clear vision, simply to keep that thing [the ball] moving," Thompson shared with Inside the NBA. "He provided us the ideal illustration, at FC Barcelona they term it tiki-taka. It's simply pass [the ball] to the available player, maintain movement."
Using an attack system modeled after Barcelona, Curry and the Warriors achieved remarkable success. He captured the NBA MVP honor twice and the Warriors established a dynasty, breaking the single season victory record in 2015–16 and claiming four NBA Finals championships from 2015–2022.
The Impact of Pep Guardiola's Barcelona
From 2008–2012, Guardiola supervised the most triumphant period in the club's history. Securing a treble during his inaugural season, claiming La Liga three times and the Champions League twice throughout his four-year tenure with the team.
Drawing inspiration from legendary Barcelona coach Johan Cruyff, Guardiola refined and perfected a possession-focused approach that enabled the Catalans to control European football.
Barcelona's players also formed the foundation of a Spain national squad that captured two European titles and the 2010 FIFA World Cup, bringing Guardiola's tactical approach to international competition.
The coach has subsequently achieved success at other clubs. Preserving the same fundamental principles of his tactical philosophy, he guided Bayern Munich to three consecutive Bundesliga crowns and later Manchester City to six Premier League titles in eight seasons, plus the club's first Champions League victory.
Guardiola has also shaped numerous younger coaches who served under him during the past decade. This group features Arsenal's Mikel Arteta, Chelsea's Enzo Maresca and Paris Saint-Germain's Luis Enrique.
However, as Curry explained, the reach of Guardiola's tiki-taka approach has spread beyond football. Evidence of the revolutionary influence it possessed.
Guardiola departed Barcelona more than ten years ago, but the legacy that squad created remains eternal. Undoubtedly, among the finest soccer teams in history.