Milwaukee Bucks coach and NBA great Jason Kidd compares Stephen Curry to Michael Jordan

TO a certain NBA fan, Michael Jordan’s legacy is sacrosanct. Kobe Bryant was to be his successor, then LeBron James, but is Stephen Curry in the debate?

Golden State Warriors' Stephen Curry celebrates after teammate Jason Thompson scores a three point shot against the Toronto Raptors during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Toronto, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015. (Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT

TO a certain NBA fan, Michael Jordan’s legacy is sacrosanct.

To sully the greatest player ever by comparing him with a contemporary is grounds for shouting, or at least dismissing the argument, they reason.

Kobe Bryant allegedly was to be his successor, then LeBron James was, but the Jordan purist never took it seriously.

Is Stephen Curry in the debate?

Or, at the least, is he having the same effect as Jordan once did?

To Jason Kidd, the answer’s yes.

The Bucks coach told reporters on Saturday (Sunday AEST) that the Warriors’ sweetheart is “this generation’s Jordan. We all wanted to be like Mike, and children today will grow up seeing Steph.”

Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry celebrates.

According to FOX, Curry’s jersey sales are up 500 per cent since the season started.

The Warriors won their first 24 games this season, a streak halted Saturday (Sunday (AEST), but have demanded eyes from the entire country every time they step on the court.

Curry’s jersey is tops among all athletes — not just basketball players — in more than 40 states.

The Golden State star’s popularity is astounding and growing, with even his wife and adorable daughter entering the mainstream as universally beloved.

Kidd was not arguing the Davidson product, who’s averaging 32.3 points and six assists per game, is on the same plane as Jordan.

But he contends Curry has captured the imaginations of a country like Jordan did.

And the style of play is a big reason.

Michael Jordan talks with Kobe Bryant during the 2003 NBA All-Star game in Atlanta.

Curry’s brand of basketball is as accessible as it is breathtaking.

He’s not the athlete Bryant or Jordan were, he’s not the physical specimen LeBron is.

Curry’s a throwback, a hearkening to the days of Pete Maravich; a player incredibly adept as exploiting the game’s given angles, instead of creating his own.

If LeBron and Jordan are Superman — players too unrealistically great and physically gifted to identify with, as much as fans can admire them — then Curry is Batman.

He’s an everyman type, just 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, who isn’t going to bullrush or dunk on many players.

He’s going to shoot over them when they laze; he’s going to look left to go right.

He is a player children can idolise and actually believe they can become, because his physical tools are minimised.

There aren’t a ton of kids who look up to a 7-footer and dream about stepping in those shoes, or look at 6-foot-8, 249-pound LeBron and wait for their measurements to follow.

But with Curry, a kid can fling up 40-footers for hours to try to mirror his game.

If Curry possesses the Jordan effect, it’s more a result of the form than the quality.

Originally published as Milwaukee Bucks coach and NBA great Jason Kidd compares Stephen Curry to Michael Jordan