If you ask Stephen Curry, the Knicks made a wise decision in signing Donte DiVincenzo in free agency this summer.
“He’s all about basketball, he’s all about winning. He brings great energy to the locker room,” the Warriors star said on Thursday while discussing his golf game ahead of the American Century Championships. “I used to call him the vet even though he’s still on the younger side, just because he’s got that kind of spirit about him. He plays way beyond his years. He’s good on both sides of the ball, he can play-make better than most people probably realize. So he fills a lot of holes on a team.”
DiVincenzo averaged 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season with the Golden State Warriors. He put up those numbers in just 26 minutes per game. He also hit 39.7 percent of his three-point attempts last year, trailing only Curry and Klay Thompson on the team in that category.
DiVincenzo, 26, declined the player option in his contract to test free agency this summer. He inked a four-year, $50 million deal with New York on the second day of free agency, reuniting him with Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.
Curry said on Thursday that he understood DiVincenzo leaving Golden State for the opportunity to play a bigger role in New York.
“He’s not selfish in the respect of – I know he wants to start and be that guy – but he also understands where value can be created on a team no matter what the role you’re asked to do is,” Curry said. “He bought in right away and he got rewarded for it.”
Curry recalled talking to DiVincenzo in the 2022 offseason, when he was considering signing with Golden State in free agency.
“I know he was coming off of injury and trying to find a situation that could help him establish who he is as an NBA player and how much value he brings to winning teams and he proved that above and beyond with us all year,” Curry said. “He knows how to play the game. You can tell. He won at the highest level in college. And the Knicks got a good one. I’m happy that he got his fair share of that CBA too. So it was good.”
Curry is listed as a 12-1 favorite at the American Century Championship, a tournament for celebrities that has raised $7 million for charity.
The field also includes Dell Curry, Charles Barkley, Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and John Elway. The celebrities are competing for $600,000 in prize money.