Steve Kerr Shares Key Reason He Believes Steph Curry Gets Fewer Foul Calls Than Others

Kerr says begging for the whistle just doesn't work.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry argues with an official on Dec 23, 2023. / John Hefti-Imagn Images

Golden State Warriors fans (as well as Steph Curry himself) have long complained that their star guard earns fewer whistles than his counterparts, even when the calls seem obvious.

Well, head coach Steve Kerr has a theory as to why that's the case.

Speaking to 95.7 The Game on Wednesday, Kerr said that while begging for foul calls has not worked—"I've been trying that for 10 years"—he thinks it's because "Steph is a very different player than all the other stars in the league. He’s the only star who plays off the ball as much as he does."

“And he’s the only guy who faces the kind of face-guarding—we call it top-locking defense—and I think what happens sometimes is the officials just aren’t used to making that call, where he’s being held and grabbed away from the basket; to me, those should be automatic fouls," the coach explained.

So far this season, Curry is averaging 4.3 free throw attempts per game, the 31st most in the league and well behind guys like No. 1 Giannis Antetokounmpo (10.5), No. 2 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (9.0) and No. 3 Trae Young (7.4).

Taken alongside his #20 usage percentage of 29.6, however, that FTA isn't totally outrageous...but it should probably be higher for someone of his caliber and impact. Nikola Jokic, for example, who is #16 in usage percentage (29.7%), is averaging 6.6 free throw attempts per game, the eighth-most in the league. Jalen Brunson, meanwhile also with a 29.6% usage, is averaging 7.0, the fifth-most.

So while Kerr is definitely more aware of this perception than most, you could make an argument that there is something to it based on the numbers. The good news is that Curry makes the most of his time on the court, anyway; the league's best shooter had himself a 50 burger Tuesday night.

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