Here's the real reason Steph Curry is always chewing his mouthguard
Stephen Curry might be the closest thing to perfect the game of basketball has ever seen. But the Golden State Warriors' reigning MVP has one bad habit on the court that his mother (and a whole bunch of random people on Twitter) absolutely cannot stand.
Whenever he's at the free-throw line, Curry removes his mouthguard from where it's supposed to be, and chews it. It's a tad peculiar, but also unique. And, apparently, it also has a legitimate impact on his performance. So don't expect a change anytime soon (via Sports Illustrated):
“Some fan studied it. He said I shoot 2% better on free throws with it out. And I think he’s right. Because when I shoot a free throw with it in, I always go, Whoa, that’s weird. It’s where it’s supposed to be.”
And here's what Curry had to say about it last August when he was on Jimmy Kimmel Live:
Why does such a harmless, albeit disgusting, habit bother so many people? Probably because Curry can't stop torching every opposing fanbase in the NBA, and there's really no other part of his game/persona that they're able to target and attack:
One idea: Perhaps Curry should exploit the mouthguard and just totally own it—throw ads in his mouth, wear it in commercials, the whole nine yards:
Has anyone pitched branding Steph Curry's #mouthguard? That thing gets more/better quality impressions/game than 90% of NBA player's shoe
— Jeehae Lee (@jeehaeda) January 30, 2016
That Steph Curry mouthguard seems to be quite a valuable branding opportunity. #StephCurry
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) February 4, 2016
If Curry honestly believes he's more accurate when he takes the thing out of his mouth and chews it, then there's essentially no chance he'll ever stop, even though doing so would only drop his free-throw percentage to a still-ridiculous 88.8 percent.
Sorry, everybody who isn't a Warriors fan. And, more importantly: Sorry, Mrs. Curry. That mouthguard isn't staying put anytime soon.
