So it turns out that all-star-caliber athletic talent in a particular sport doesn’t translate to video game success in simulations of that sport. Who knew?!
The dirty truth spilled out when NBA all-stars Kevin Durant, James Harden, Steph Curry, and Anthony Davis sat down on August 19 to chat with sportscaster Ernie Johnson about professional sports, pop culture, and yes, even video games. It was all part of 2K Sports’ NBA 2K15 Uncensored event, meant to hype fans up for both the coming NBA season and the October 7 release of developer Visual Concepts’ NBA 2K15.
Related: Listen to Pharrell’s full soundtrack for NBA 2K15
“When you’re playing the game, who do you enjoy being the [most]?” Johnson asked. “Like, when you play, do you go, ‘I want to be Steph Curry because I want to shoot like Steph tonight’?”
Durant’s deadpan response led to a round of agreement, even from Curry himself. “The crazy thing is, I can’t shoot with Steph. I can’t play well… he’s terrible in the game.”
Even better? Curry agreed! “I can’t even figure out my own jump [shot],” he said.
Imagine for a second how that feels. You’re Steph Curry. You just picked up NBA 2K15 and you’ve fired up an exhibition match pitting your own Golden State Warriors against the L.A. Lakers. Virtual Steph Curry gets the ball in the final seconds of a close game… and real-life Steph Curry fumbles the controls, resulting in a loss.
That’s got to be a pretty low moment, right? It’s the kind of thing you repress and don’t talk about until you’re in a shrink’s office 20 years later.
