It’s time to get courtside, basketball fans. Or screen-side, at least, as the new sports documentary Stephen Curry: Underrated is slamming into Apple TV+ from July 21.
As the title indicates, this feature length documentary, currently sitting on a sweet 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, focuses on legendary Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, tracing the entire arc of his career from his 2008 NCAA Tournament season with Davidson College through to the 2021–22 championship season with the Warriors, when he was awarded the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award.
Or, as the official synopsis would have it:
The remarkable coming-of-age story of one of the most influential, dynamic and unexpected players in the history of basketball: Stephen Curry. This feature documentary—blending intimate cinéma vérité, archival footage and on camera interviews—documents Curry’s rise from an undersized college player at a small-town Division I college to a four-time NBA champion, building one of the most dominant sports dynasties in the world.
Director Peter Nicks has assembled some killer archival footage that’ll have fans salivating, plus an impressive roster of talking heads to tell Curry’s tale, including various family members, such as his mother, Sonya; Davidson coach Bob McKillop; and players Jason Richards, Kevin Durant and Reggie Miller. Spike Lee even shows up—albeit in archival footage.
To be fair, we’ve had a plethora of biographical sports documentaries of late, and after a few the tropes start to get a little repetitive. But Stephen Curry: Underrated stands out for a couple of reasons. For one, it’s produced by none other than Black Panther and Creed director Ryan Coogler, who knows a thing or two about telling sports stories. And for another, Curry is hands down the greatest shooter to ever play the game—all else aside, you might pick up some pointers for your next three-on-three.
