Lexi Rodriguez recently heaped praise on basketball icon and Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry. The former Husker volleyball player is currently on the roster of LOVB’s Nebraska team, where she is playing her second season.
With the season having kicked off just a few days ago, Rodriguez was asked in a fun interview who she would choose as her celebrity draft pick. She immediately pointed to the four-time NBA champion.
Why Nebraska Volleyball Icon Lexi Rodriguez Chose Stephen Curry as Her Celebrity Draft Pick
Rodriguez, an AAU James E. Sullivan Award winner and the school’s all-time career leader in digs, shared the reasoning behind picking Curry for her hypothetical team, praising his hand-eye coordination, touch, footwork, and creativity, which she believes fit naturally with the sport.
In an interview released on Victory+’s YouTube channel, Rodriguez and other LOVB standouts shared which non-volleyball athletes they would choose. There, the 22-year-old said, “Stephen Curry, he is the ultimate competitor, in my opinion. He’s one of my biggest role models.”
She added, “His daughter plays volleyball, and he does volleyball-style tricks with the basketball all the time, especially if you ever watch him warm up. So, I know he’d be ready.”
Rodriguez wasn’t the only one to choose Curry, as volleyball icon and LOVB Nebraska teammate Jordan Larson also picked the two-time NBA MVP, citing his smoothness and competitive edge as qualities she feels would fit right into volleyball.
Notably, Larson has announced that this would be her final competitive season on the court as a pro athlete. While the 39-year-old is set to end this chapter of her life, Rodriguez once shared in a separate interview what volleyball has meant to her since her childhood.
Rodriguez Shares the Childhood Moment That Sparked Her Volleyball Journey
Rodriguez opened up about how volleyball became a defining part of her life. While she doesn’t remember the exact moment she started playing, Rodriguez recalled that volleyball was always present growing up, especially as she watched her sister compete.
In an interview released on LOVB’s YouTube, she said, “I remember my sister was competing and I was super jealous that she was able to be on a team,” adding that she would constantly beg her mother for the chance to join as well.
At just six years old, Rodriguez was given a simple challenge that would change everything, with her mother telling her she could join a team if she managed to “serve the ball over the net overhand.” Determined to prove herself, Rodriguez spent hours practicing on her own. When she successfully completed the serve, her mother’s response was immediate: “Okay, we’ll get you on a team.”
From that moment on, volleyball became far more than just a sport for Rodriguez as it became a space where she felt at ease and truly herself. The sport stood out as something in her early years that consistently brought her happiness.
