OU's Taylor Robertson meets Steph Curry after breaking all-time NCAA 3-point record

Taylor Robertson stood on a basketball court before a game like she has so many times before.

But Monday evening, it was like never before.

She was about to meet Steph Curry.

The OU sharpshooter was admittedly nervous as she watched Curry go through his pregame shooting routine at Paycom Center – the Warriors sharpshooter has been her idol for nearly a decade, after all.

“This is more nervous exciting,” she said, “because it’s something I’ve looked forward to forever.”

Finally, after Curry finished his twentysomething-minute routine before Golden State’s 128-120 win over Oklahoma City, he walked toward Robertson and gave her a hug. On a night the greatest shooter in NBA history passed Wilt Chamberlain and became the Warrior with the most made field goals, Curry wanted to meet the greatest shooter in women’s college basketball history.

Robertson became the Queen Three on Saturday, and two days later, she said hello to the player after whom she tries to pattern her game.

“It’s crazy knowing she just broke the record … and we were coming through town and she had a night off,” Curry said. “Pretty cool to see her, celebrate her accomplishment.”

Curry congratulated Robertson, then offered a bit of advice.

“Just keep going,” she remembers him telling her. “Got a lot of season left, but just keep going and be great.”

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NBA 3-point king meets NCAA 3-point queen

Robertson is trying to not only follow Curry’s advice but also his footsteps.

Robertson became a Curry fan nearly a decade ago when she was still in middle school. In those days, there weren’t a bunch of Golden State games on in her hometown of McPherson, Kansas.

“I had NBA TV, so that carried some of the games, and they were on TV quite a bit,” Robertson said.

She remembers watching the Warriors when they made the playoffs in 2013 and 2014. They didn’t make the Western Conference Finals much less win an NBA title – the first championship would come in 2015 – but Robertson fell in love with the Warriors primarily because she fell in love with Curry.

“I watched him play and it was ridiculous,” she said. “I was like, ‘I’m a fan now.’”

Robertson didn’t just watch Curry. She studied him.

“I like to watch how he moves without the ball,” Robertson said. “Obviously, it seems like he needs .1 seconds to shoot it, but I like the way he moves and how he uses his teammates on screens and everything. How he never stops moving.

“That’s what I always like to take away.”

Robertson became such a fan that when she showed up in Norman to move into the dorm as a freshman, she was wearing Curry garb.

“The first time we ever saw her, she had on a Steph Curry jersey,” fellow fifth-year Sooner Madi Williams said. “Like on move-in day!”

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How Steph Curry invited Taylor Robertson to Thunder vs. Warriors

Everyone at OU knew of her love of Curry, so when she started getting close to breaking the NCAA record, someone in the athletic department reached out to Raymond Ritter, head of public relations for the Warriors.

Would Curry shoot a video of congratulations for Robertson?

“I reached out to Steph, who said absolutely,” Ritter said. “And later that night, he sent me a cell phone video.”

But that’s not all he sent. Curry had a request of his own.

“Can you invite her to the game on Monday because we’re there?” Curry asked Ritter. “I’d love to have a chance to meet her.”

After making sure the Warriors could provide Robertson seats without violating any NCAA rules, OU hatched a plan.

A big surprise.

Sunday, the day after Robertson broke the record, Sooner staffers told her that they needed to get a reaction video from her. But the reaction they wanted was from her when she saw Curry’s video.

“Hey, what’s up, Taylor?” Curry said as his face appeared on the screen.

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A look of shock appeared on Robertson’s face, wide eyes quickly giving way to a big smile.

“Just wanted to say congratulation on breaking the all-time NCAA women’s Division-I 3-point record, 498 threes. Now, I know you’re going to keep adding to that number and probably make it hopefully something that will never be broken. To go from making eight threes in your first college game against Western Kentucky to now 498, that is an amazing, amazing accomplishment.

“I only made 414 threes in college, so you’ve been having me beat.”

After the video concluded, Robertson was joined by Williams and Ana Llanusa.

“That’s crazy,” Robertson said to them.

But then they told her something even crazier: Robertson was going to meet Curry at the game Monday night.

Williams along with fellow senior Jordan Moser made the trip with Robertson from Norman to Oklahoma City. Robertson wore a black Curry jersey over a black sweatshirt that Moser said had Curry on it. The blue Curry jersey Moser had on? That was Robertson’s, too.

Williams and Moser said Robertson could hardly contain her excitement on the way into the arena.

Robertson’s birthday is Thursday.

“She’s like, ‘This is my birthday present for the next five years,’” Williams said.

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Robertson played everything cool, but after Curry had gone and a horde of interviewers had faded, she melted into smiles and laughs with Williams and Moser.

Was it everything she thought it would be?

“Everything and more,” Robertson said. “It was so cool.”

“It’s unreal. It’s something I dreamed about, just being able to meet him, talk to him. It’s just really cool because I want to play like him.”

Safe to say in many ways, she already is.

When the game was done, Robertson and Curry met one more time. This time, he signed his jersey from the game and gave it to her.

“She made eight threes in her first college game,” Curry said, “and I made eight tonight.

“Kind of a cool connection.”

Between Robertson and Curry, it was a cool connection indeed.

Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.

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NCAA career 3-point leaders

OU guard Taylor Robertson set the NCAA record for career 3-pointers on Saturday. Here's a look at the top 10, including final collegiate season, games played and 3-pointers made:

• 1. Taylor Robertson, OU, 2023, 138, 503

• 2. Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State, 2018, 139, 497

• 3. Taylor Pierce, Idaho, 2019, 134, 472

• 4. Jess Kovatch, Saint Francis (Pa.), 2019, 130, 472

• 5. Kendall Spray, UT Martin/Clemson/Florida Gulf Coast, 2022, 153, 466

• 6. Katie Benzan, Harvard/Maryland, 2022, 147, 453

• 7. Darby Maggard, Belmont, 2019, 134, 430

• 8. Mikayla Ferenz, Idaho, 2019, 135, 415

• 9. Rachael Childress, UAB, 2020, 128, 415

• 10. Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan, 2018, 140, 410

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Steph Curry meets Taylor Robertson before Thunder vs Warriors NBA game