Sumith Prasad
In Peacock’s comedy series ‘Mr. Throwback,’ Stephen Curry undergoes a longevity treatment supervised by Dr. Josh to preserve his youth and grow young. He consumes plasma-rich delicacies and follows a routine to ensure that he will forever remain young. Dr. Josh also becomes part of Danny Grossman’s life and family as he starts to date the latter’s ex-wife, Sam. Curry is lauded for being one of the best active basketball players despite being thirty-six years old. He has been displaying incredible skills on the court irrespective of his age, which can be paralleled with his longevity treatment. However, there isn’t any truth behind the latter at all!
Steph Curry’s Longevity Treatment is Not Rooted in Reality
Stephen Curry does not have a longevity doctor who works behind the scenes to ensure that the basketball player will preserve his youth eternally. “It’s definitely an exaggerated, satirical version of me. So I’m playing myself, but it’s not me. The basketball scenes and the scenarios I find myself in – from the plane to the locker room to the arena – we try to keep that real. That’s been my office for 15 years,” Curry told USA Today about portraying a satirical and exaggerated version of himself in ‘Mr. Throwback,’ which includes the pursuit of eternal youth.
In ‘Mr. Throwback,’ the narrative makes use of Curry’s unparalleled fame to comment on various aspects of celebrity life, which include the authenticity of friendships, lives before and after stardom, day-to-day activities, and the larger-than-life projection of famed figures. The series presents Curry as the keystone that supports the sports economy in the country and a super-human individual who needs to be protected and preserved at any cost. The longevity treatment enhances such an exaggerated depiction by making him appear as someone who has to live more than any human being. Through this depiction, the show targets the yearning to gain immortality.
While his longevity treatment is fictional, as an athlete, Curry has to look after his body more than an average human being. The basketball player actually underwent platelet-rich plasma treatment back in 2016. However, it was not to extend his life but to facilitate the healing of his sprained right knee. Similar treatments are common among athletes to help them recover from injuries faster and more efficiently. The NBA legend Kobe Bryant underwent a similar process to treat his arthritic right knee during the 2011 off-season. Tiger Woods, one of the greatest golfers of all time, and Alex Rodriguez, a World Series champion, are other athletes who relied on plasma treatment like Curry.
Dr. Josh Serves as a Trigger to the Ultimate Revelation
Similarly, Dr. Josh is an outright fictional character without any exact real-life counterpart. “I will say it’s completely made up. There are no real characters in there. Ego’s character is loosely based on myself, but loosely. The Libmans did a great job of creating the world. Once you read that world, you see it’s fun and nothing we’ve experienced before,” said Erick Peyton, Curry’s producing partner and an executive producer of the comedy series.
The significance of Dr. Josh is not limited to the plasma treatment aimed at extending Curry’s life. The character eventually becomes Sam’s love interest and adds to Danny’s misery, who is hoping to get back together with his ex-wife. He is an integral part of the dramatic narrative of the series as he convinces Sam to reveal the truth about Charlie’s fake illness to the basketball player, which paves the way for the events in the show’s climax. Thus, to conclude, Dr. Josh and his treatment do not have any roots in reality, and they were conceived only to enhance the satirical and dramatic storylines of the series.
Read More: Is Kimberly “Kim” Gregg Inspired by Steph Curry’s Real Assistant Partner?
