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Growing up in a family with a strong athletic legacy: his father played and was known as one of the best shooters to play basketball
As the son of Dell and Sonya Curry, Stephen Curry had big shoes to fill. As a basketball player for The Virginia Tech Hokies, Dell finished his college career as second in all-time points scored for Tech and the school’s all-time leader in steals. He went on to play professionally and he holds many records for the Charlotte Hornets, such as for most two-point field goals and 2nd most points in the history of the franchise; he is known also as one of the great all-time shooters to play in the NBA. Sonya, who was quite the athlete in her own right, also attended Virginia Tech and earned All-Conference honors as a member of the volleyball team for the Hokies.
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With these two athletes as his parents, Stephen had a lot to live up to. As a high school player, nobody seemed very interested in him. As a sophomore, he was only 5’6” but had grown to 6’ his senior year. He wasn’t highly recruited, despite his obvious talent and also leading his small private high school to three state playoff appearances. During his senior year, he averaged close to 50% of his 3-point shots. He was ranked only as the 281st-best player in the country. People seemed to ignore the big talent of this player and focused just on his small size. This was a theme that would be repeated throughout Curry’s career and was a driving force in his incredible accomplishments.
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Low prospects following high school
Without much interest drawn by other colleges, including his parents’ alma mater, Curry decided on Davidson College, a small liberal arts school with a coach who was able to see past his appearance and into his skill and brilliance. With him as the focal point of the team, Curry was a star his first year with the Wildcats, averaging 21.5 points a game. In 2007, he led the team to an NCAA Tournament berth, but despite a herculean effort by Curry with 30 points, Davidson fell to Maryland in the first round. These accomplishments were already enough to prove everybody wrong; however, these feats were nothing compared to what was about to come.
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He saw himself getting even better through his sophomore season. His scoring average increased to 25.5 as he led his team back into the NCAA Tournament. In 2008’s March Madness, Steph was about to put the basketball world on notice. As the 10th seed, the team was not expected to do much and was the underdog from round one; however, as usual, Steph had other plans. Began by upsetting the higher-seeded Gonzaga, a team that had a reputation itself for doing the same to higher seeds in the tournament and who was leading by 54-43 early on in the second half. With a theme that would become a staple of Curry’s career, Curry exploded and went on to score 30 more points in the second half. Following the game, the team had an even bigger order to fill facing Georgetown University, a staple of the tournament with a title and thirty appearances. Going up against this 2 seed was going to be a tough road. The team was losing by 16 points with only 19 minutes to go in the game, but Curry once again led the team to a win with another second-half explosion of 25 points. Davidson earned its way to the Elite Eight and had to face Goliath, in the form of Kansas, an absolute powerhouse that looked to be the all-around superior team. With the game coming down to the wire, thanks to Curry’s 25-point performance and making a 3 with under a minute, the Wildcats were down only by 2. Everybody expected the game to come down to Curry making or missing the final shot to decide the outcome, but doing the predictable is not how Curry operates. With being double-teamed throughout the final play, Curry’s unselfish nature refused to let an open teammate not get his chance to shine. Passing to his open teammate, the Wildcat unfortunately missed and Kansas went on to win the tournament. The team may have lost, but his ability to stage a second-half comeback, make crucial 3s, and his selfless nature would be winning factors throughout Curry’s career going forward.
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Drafted into the pros and turned the Golden State Warriors into an all-time great dynasty
On draft night, people still were doubting Curry. Fortunately, one team, the Golden State Warriors, believed in him so they made him a 7th pick. Even with all he accomplished in college, analysts still couldn’t see it, thinking that he was too small and that there were better prospects in the draft. However, a chip on the shoulder is Curry’s favorite victory snack. Although he finished the first season as the runner-up for The Rookie of The Year Award, the following few years were difficult as Curry suffered injuries and there was competition between the two stars at the guard position. When times look their darkest, though, stars shine the brightest. The Warriors brought in a new coach, Mark Jackson, who saw the greatness in Curry and traded their other guard, Monta Ellis. A team that had made the playoffs only twice in the previous 20 seasons was about to turn into one of the greatest dynasties in basketball history.
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During his fourth season in the league, Steph was about to change the NBA forever. Although he was already influencing younger players with his ability to shoot from anywhere on the court, accompanied by his ball handling, creative passing, and finishing abilities as a point guard, Steph was about to show how his play could alter the way basketball was played. Curry set the record for most 3-pointers made in a single season while a young Klay Thompson was coming into his own, as well. As both young stars were shooting the lights out, they were given the nickname “The Splash Brothers”, and they helped lead the Warriors into the playoffs where they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
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The Warriors were progressing but seemed disappointed in the following season as the Warriors lost to The Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Although Mark Jackson had brought the Warriors out of mediocrity, it was clear that something was missing. Following the playoff series loss, Mark Jackson was let go and Steve Kerr was brought in as the head coach, leading to one of the great coach/star combos in sports and creating a new system around Curry’s type of play. “The Splash Brothers” were in full form draining 3s from everywhere. With this undeniably great season, Curry was finally getting the recognition he deserved and was given his first MVP trophy. Entering the playoffs for the first time as the favorites in the West the pressure was on Steph Curry. He did not disappoint; moreover, he averaged 28.3 points and made a 3-pointer in the corner over two defenders at the last second to force overtime in a pivotal game in the first round against the Pelicans. Curry would continue his domination throughout these playoffs en route to the finals where they would have to face Lebron James and his teammates. The “Death Lineup”, a small ball squad that saw the 6th man Andre Iguodala replace the center Andrew Bogut as a starter for the team, was created. Curry, Thompson, Green, Harrison Barnes, and Iguodala were the starting five and a versatile team where each player could constantly switch every position. With this new formation, Curry and The Warriors were able to overcome the Cavaliers and Lebron James to win their first title in 40 years. The Warriors were a team that debunked the theory that jump-shooting teams couldn’t win a championship.
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Additionally, a scrawny kid from Davidson College proved that being a selfless team player with superior under-pressure shooting ability could impact the game of basketball in a way that hasn’t been seen since Michael Jordan, making the 3 the dunk of today.
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Dillon is a writer, and a lover of storytelling and creativity across all mediums. He studied Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz, where he became a voracious consumer and ponderer of the creative arts. He has a background in screenwriting, as well as freelance film theory and pop culture journalism. Dillon connected to the inclusive, empowering mission statement of The Hollywood Insider, because of his shared belief in the power of storytelling, and its facility to engender empathy and understanding, as well as entertain. He believes in finding joy and purpose through making, watching, discussing, and dissecting the diverse collection of creative media that inspires him. He has particular interest in stories that come from largely unheard, historically excluded perspectives.
Dillon is a writer, and a lover of storytelling and creativity across all mediums. He studied Film and Digital Media at UC Santa Cruz, where he became a voracious consumer and ponderer of the creative arts. He has a background in screenwriting, as well as freelance film theory and pop culture journalism. Dillon connected to the inclusive, empowering mission statement of The Hollywood Insider, because of his shared belief in the power of storytelling, and its facility to engender empathy and understanding, as well as entertain. He believes in finding joy and purpose through making, watching, discussing, and dissecting the diverse collection of creative media that inspires him. He has particular interest in stories that come from largely unheard, historically excluded perspectives.
