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Reigning NBA Finals MVP Steph Curry will host the 2022 ESPY Awards. He recently revealed that he consulted the former hosts of the ceremony - Drake and Peyton Manning - before agreeing to the gig.
Curry was offered the role of the ESPY host before the playoffs began, so he didn't know he would win the NBA Finals. So, when the Warriors had the tied-longest postseason in the league, fans were surprised to see the four-time champion with a new work commitment so soon after winning a title. Curry admitted he's still not decompressed after the Finals and is 'just on the ride right now'.
Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter sat down with Curry and asked him if he would watch the film of former hosts to prepare himself for the gig. Curry replied:
"Oh, absolutely! I’ll watch film and study, that will be key. I texted Drake and Peyton Manning about what their experiences were like. They both spoke very highly and positively about it and how much fun they had."
Intrigued at Drake's name popping up, Gardner asked Curry to elaborate on the conversation he had with the world-famous rapper. He answered:
"I just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a 'Hell no, don’t do it' situation. And I didn’t get that from either (Drake or Manning). It was all very positive and encouraging that it was an opportunity and experience that I would love doing."
Steph Curry received encouraging and morale-boosting words from Drake and NFL legend Peyton Manning, who hosted the ceremony in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Curry then agreed to host, deciding to add 'ESPY Host' to his resume. He's just the second NBA player to host the ESPYs after LeBron James did so in 2007.
Steph Curry reveals his favorite ESPY nomination
Steph Curry was asked a bunch of questions in The Hollywood Reporter interview, including his favorite ESPY nomination. Along with being the host, Curry is also nominated for four awards, including 'Best Team' with the Golden State Warriors. He is also nominated in the 'Best Male Athlete', 'Best NBA Player' and the 'Best Record-Breaking Performance' categories.
Meanwhile, Curry's teammate Klay Thompson has been nominated for the 'Best Comeback Player' award, giving the Warriors organization five total nominations.
When The Hollywood Reporter's Chris Gardner asked him about his favorite nomination, Steph Curry answered promptly:
"That’s an easy answer. For me, it’s the team nomination because this team was so different than any team that’s won a championship before. The fact that we got the Larry O’Brien Trophy is first and foremost, but now that we got nominated for this award means a lot."
He continued:
"It makes me think of the guys who hadn’t been on a playoff run before…We got a bunch of young guys that came on the scene and really made an impact. We get to share (this nomination). All the experts in January said that we had about a 14 percent chance of making it to the Finals. Now we’re here; it’s pretty crazy."
Steph Curry instantly chose the team nomination, as he's glad to share the honor with his teammates, many of whom hadn't been on the NBA championship stage before.
Curry won his first 'Best NBA Player' ESPY award in 2015 after his first MVP season and his second in 2021 after leading the league in scoring and dropping threes at a historic rate. He also won the 'Best Male Athlete' award in 2015.
