Stephen Curry
Curry is a four-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), an NBA Finals MVP, and a two-time NBA All-Star Game MVP. He is also a two-time NBA scoring champion, a 12-time NBA All-Star, and an 11-time All-NBA Team selection (including four on the First Team). Internationally, he has won two gold medals at the FIBA World Cup and a gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics as part of the U.S. national team.
Curry played collegiately for the Davidson Wildcats, where he was named Conference Player of the Year twice. He set the NCAA single-season record for three-pointers made (162) as a sophomore and led the NCAA Division I in scoring during his junior year. Curry was selected by the Warriors as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft.
In 2014โ15, Curry won his first league MVP award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player to be unanimously voted MVP and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50โ40โ90. That same year, the Warriors broke the record for most wins in a regular season (73) en route to the 2016 NBA Finals, where they lost a 3โ1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Curry then helped the Warriors win back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, and reach the 2019 NBA Finals, where they fell to the Toronto Raptors in six games. In 2021, Curry led the league in scoring for a second time. The following season Curry won his fourth championship and first Finals MVP award in 2022, leading the Warriors past the Boston Celtics in six games. That same season, he became the NBA's all-time leader in three-pointers made, surpassing Ray Allen.
Curry has the highest career free-throw percentage in NBA history (.912) and has led the league in three-pointers made a record eight times. In 2016, he broke his own record for three-pointers made in a regular season, with 402, and made at least one three-pointer in an NBA-record 268 consecutive games from 2018 to 2023.
Curry was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2016 and has been listed by Forbes as one of the world's ten highest-paid athletes nine times. He has also been listed as the highest paid NBA player for a record nine consecutive seasons and has led the NBA in worldwide jersey sales six times.
Early life, family and education
Curry was born on March 14, 1988, at Summa Health Akron Campus in downtown Akron, Ohio. His father, Wardell Stephen "Dell" Curry Sr. was a professional basketball player, and his mother, Sonya Alicia Curry (nรฉe Adams), is an educator and author. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, where his father spent most of his NBA career with the Charlotte Hornets.
He played with his younger brother Seth on their backyard basketball court in Charlotte. The family briefly moved to Toronto, Canada, where Dell finished out his career as a member of the Toronto Raptors. During this time, Curry played for the Queensway Christian College boys' basketball team, leading them to an undefeated season.
He was also a member of Toronto 5โ0, a club team that plays across Ontario, pitting him against fellow future NBA players Cory Joseph and Kelly Olynyk. Curry led the team to a 33โ4 record, en route to winning the provincial championship.
After Dell's retirement, the family moved back to Charlotte and Curry enrolled at Charlotte Christian School, where he was named all-conference and all-state, and led his team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances. Because of his father's storied career at Virginia Tech, Curry wanted to play college basketball for the Hokies, but was only offered a walk-on spot due in part to his slender 160-pound frame.
He ultimately chose to attend Davidson College, which had aggressively recruited him from the tenth grade.
College career
Freshman season
Before Curry even played in his first game for the Wildcats, head coach Bob McKillop praised him at a Davidson alumni event, saying: "Wait 'til you see Steph Curry. He is something special." In his second collegiate game, he recorded a season-high 32 points and nine rebounds against Michigan. He had 30 points and a season-high 11 rebounds against Chattanooga on December 18, 2006, for his first career double-double.
On February 6, 2007, also against Chattanooga, Curry broke the school's 500-point freshman record. He went on to finish with 730 points. He also broke Davidson's single-season record for three-pointers held by Brendan Winters (2004โ05). He led the Southern Conference in scoring at 21.5 points per game, ranking him ninth nationally and second nationally among freshmen behind only Kevin Durant of Texas.
The Wildcats finished with a 29โ5 record and a Southern Conference regular-season title. On March 2, in the Southern Conference tournament semi-finals against Furman, Curry made his 113th three-point field goal of the year, breaking Keydren Clark's NCAA freshman season record for three-pointers. On March 15, he scored a game-high 30 points in a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Maryland.
At the end of his freshman season, Curry was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, SoCon Tournament MVP, and selected to the SoCon All-tournament team, All-freshman team, and All-SoCon First Team. He was also an honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major.
Sophomore season
In his sophomore season in 2007โ08, Curry helped the Wildcats to a 26โ6 regular-season record, a 20โ0 conference record, and a trip to the 2008 NCAA tournament.
On March 21, 2008, Davidson matched up with seventh-seeded Gonzaga. Gonzaga led by 11 points early in the second half but Curry went on to score 30 points in the half to push Davidson to their first NCAA tournament win since 1969 with a score of 82โ76. Curry ended the game with 40 points while also going 8-of-10 from three-point range.
On March 23, Davidson played second-seeded Georgetown in the second round, with Curry scoring just five points in the first half of the game as Davidson trailed by as many as 17 points. His 25 second-half points led Davidson to a 74โ70 comeback victory. On March 28, Curry led Davidson to another win, against third-seeded Wisconsin.
He scored 33 points as Davidson won 73โ56 to advance to the Elite 8. Curry joined Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Chambers, and Glenn Robinson as the only college players to score over 30 points in their first four career NCAA tournament games. Curry also tied Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler for the single-season record for most three-pointers with 158.
On March 30, he set the record, against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, with his 159th three-pointer of the season. Curry scored 25 points in the game but Davidson lost 59โ57, and the Jayhawks went on to win the championship.
Curry finished the season averaging 25.9 points, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game. He was named to the Associated Press' All-America Second Team on March 31, 2008. He also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Region of the NCAA tournament, becoming the first player from a team not making the Final Four to do so since Juwan Howard of Michigan in 1994. Curry was nominated for an ESPY in the Breakthrough Player of the Year category.
Junior season
Following Davidson's loss in the NCAA Regional Finals, Curry announced that he would return for his junior year. On November 18, 2008, he scored a career-high 44 points in Davidson's 82โ78 loss to Oklahoma. He extended a career-long streak by scoring at least 25 points for the seventh straight game. On November 21, Curry registered a career-high 13 assists to go along with 30 points in Davidson's 97โ70 win over Winthrop.
On November 25, against Loyola, Curry was held scoreless as Loyola constantly double-teamed him. It was Curry's only scoreless collegiate game and only his second without double-digit points. He finished 0-of-3 from the field as Davidson won the game 78โ48. In Davidson's next game 11 days later, Curry matched his career high of 44 in a 72โ67 win over North Carolina State.
Curry surpassed the 2000-point mark for his career on January 3, 2009, as he scored 21 points against Samford. On February 14, 2009, Curry rolled his ankle in the second half of a win over Furman. The injury caused Curry to miss the February 18 game against The Citadel, the first and only game he missed in his college career.
On February 28, 2009, Curry became Davidson's all-time leading scorer with 34 points in a 99โ56 win against Georgia Southern. That gave Curry 2,488 points for his career, surpassing previous school leader John Gerdy. Davidson won the 2008โ09 Southern Conference regular season championship for the South Division, finishing 18โ2 in the conference.
In the 2009 Southern Conference tournament, Davidson played Appalachian State in the quarterfinals and won 84โ68. Curry scored 43 points, which is the third most points in Southern Conference tournament history. In the semifinals, against the College of Charleston, Curry had 20 points but Davidson lost 52โ59. Despite lobbying from Davidson head coach Bob McKillop and Charleston coach Bobby Cremins, the Wildcats failed to get an NCAA tournament bid.
Instead, they received the sixth seed in the 2009 NIT. Davidson played the third seed, South Carolina, on the road in the first round. Curry scored 32 points as the Wildcats beat the Gamecocks 70โ63. Davidson then lost 80โ68 to the Saint Mary's Gaels in the second round. Curry registered 26 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in what was his final game for the Wildcats.
In his final season at Davidson, Curry averaged 28.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.5 steals. He was the NCAA scoring champion and was named a consensus first team All-American. Curry opted out of his senior year at Davidson to enter the 2009 NBA draft, but expressed his intention to complete his degree.
In May 2022, Curry completed his coursework and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. In a ceremony held on August 31, 2022, Curry became the first Davidson graduate to have his jersey number retired and was inducted into the Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame.
In March 2025, Davidson announced that Curry would serve as assistant general manager for basketball programs, alongside alum Matt Berman in an advisory role. They will share insights with student-athletes and create the eight-figure "Curry-Berman Fund" to support both men's and women's basketball, with contributions from Curry, his wife Ayesha, Berman, his sister Erica, and father Don.
Professional career
Golden State Warriors (2009โpresent)
Early years (2009โ2012)
On June 25, 2009, his father's 45th birthday, Curry was selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. The day of the draft, Curry's father Dell, who wished for his son to be drafted with the eighth pick by the New York Knicks, called teams with higher picks and urged them not to draft his son.
The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed not to draft Curry, and subsequently drafted two other point guards with the fifth and sixth picks. Warriors head coach Don Nelson chose to disregard Dell's wishes and drafted him anyway, one pick before the Knicks would have the opportunity to. Although the Warriors already had another lean, 6-foot-3, offensive-minded guard in Monta Ellis, Nelson had a penchant for using small lineups in his Nellie Ball system, and had warmed to the idea of selecting Curry.
However, Ellis announced at a media session that he and Curry were too small to play together. Curry appeared in 80 games (77 starts) during the 2009โ10 season, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.90 steals in 36.2 minutes.
His second half of the season vaulted him into the rookie of the year race. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January, March, and April, finishing as the only Western Conference rookie to win the award three times. He finished runner-up for the NBA Rookie of the Year behind Tyreke Evans and was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team selection, becoming the first Warriors player since Jason Richardson in 2001โ02 to earn All-Rookie First Team honors.
He scored 30-plus points eight times, setting the most 30-point games by any rookie in 2009โ10 and the most since LeBron James had 13 and Carmelo Anthony had 10 in 2003โ04. Curry had five 30-point/10-assist games, which tied Michael Jordan for the second-most 30-point/10-assist games by a rookie (Oscar Robertson is first with 25).
He became just the sixth rookie in NBA history to post a 35-point, 10-assist, 10-rebound game when he registered his first career triple-double with 36 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds against the Los Angeles Clippers on February 10. In the Warriors' season finale against the Portland Trail Blazers on April 14, in a game where the Warriors won despite only having six healthy players entering the game and were forced to suit two injured teammates to meet the NBA's minimum of eight active players, Curry recorded a then- career-high 42 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, becoming the first rookie since Robertson in February 1961 to register at least those numbers in each category in the same game.
Curry finished his rookie season with 166 three-pointers, which were, at the time, the most ever by a rookie in NBA history.
In 2010โ11, Curry appeared in 74 games (all starts), averaging 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.47 steals in 33.6 minutes per contest. His free throw percentage of .934 (212โ227 FT) set a new Warriors single-season record, surpassing the previous mark of .924 set by Rick Barry in 1977โ78. He also became the first Warriors player to lead the NBA in free throw percentage since Mark Price in 1996โ97.
Curry registered 20-or-more points 35 times, including seven 30-plus performances. He posted a season-high 39 points and a then- career-high 14 made field goals (on 20 attempts) against the Oklahoma City Thunder on December 5. In February 2011, during All-Star Weekend, Curry won the Skills Challenge and registered 13 points, eight assists, and six rebounds in 28 minutes as a member of the Sophomore squad in the Rookie Challenge.
In May 2011, he was named the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award, and underwent surgery on his right ankle.
In the lockout-shortened 2011โ12 season, Curry appeared in 26 games (23 starts), averaging 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.50 steals in 28.2 minutes per contest. He missed 40 games due to right ankle and foot injuries, including the last 28 games with a sprained right ankle and subsequent surgery on the ankle, which was performed on April 25.
In 2012, Golden State included Curry in a trade offer to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut, which the Bucks rejected due to Curry's history with bad ankles. Ellis was traded instead. According to then- Warriors general manager Larry Riley, they offered Curry with the intention of steering the deal to Ellis. The deal opened an opportunity for Curry to lead the team.
First All-Star and playoff appearances (2012โ2014)
Prior to the start of the 2012โ13 season, Curry signed a four-year, $44 million contract extension with the Warriors. At the time, many basketball writers considered the move risky for Golden State because of Curry's injury history. Over the course of the year, Curry and backcourt teammate Klay Thompson gained a reputation for their perimeter scoring, earning them the nickname the "Splash Brothers".
In 2012โ13, Curry appeared in 78 games (all starts), averaging then- career-high 22.9 points (seventh in NBA), 6.9 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 38.2 minutes. He set a new NBA single-season three-point record with 272 three-pointers, eclipsing the previous mark set by Ray Allen (269 in 2005โ06), doing so on 53 less attempts than Allen did with Seattle.
Curry earned Western Conference Player of the Month honors for the month of April. During this time he averaged 25.4 points, 8.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.13 steals in eight games in the final month of the season to become the third Warrior to win the award, joining Chris Mullin (November 1990 and January 1989) and Bernard King (January 1981).
On February 25, Curry recorded a then- career-high 54 points and then- franchise-record 11 made three-pointers in a 109โ105 loss to the New York Knicks, becoming the first player in NBA history to register at least 50 points and 10 three-pointers in a game. The game is cited as the "breakthrough" performance and one of the most notable games in Curry's career. On April 12, he scored 47 points in a 118โ116 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
In 2013, Curry appeared in the playoffs for the first time in his career, with the Warriors earning the sixth seed in the Western Conference. In 12 playoff games (all starts), he averaged 23.4 points, 8.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds. He set a new franchise record with 42 playoff three-pointers, eclipsing the Warriors' career playoff mark of 29 previously held by Jason Richardson, giving him a total of 314 three-pointers for the season to become the first player in NBA history to make at least 300 three-pointers in a single season.
๐ Source: Wikipedia
