Stephen Curry

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Lore & Background

Curry played collegiately for the Davidson Wildcats, where he was named Conference Player of the Year once (2008). 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 2014–15, 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 50–40–90. 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 3–1 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.

In Their Own Story

Curry was born on March 14, 1988, at Summa Health Akron Campus in downtown Akron, Ohio. His father, Dell Curry was a professional basketball player, and his mother, Sonya 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 5–0, 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 33–4 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.

Reader's Guide

In his sophomore season in 2007–08, Curry helped the Wildcats to a 26–6 regular-season record, a 20–0 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 82–76. 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 74–70 comeback victory. On March 28, Curry led Davidson to another win, against third-seeded Wisconsin. He scored 33 points as Davidson won 73–56 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 59–57, and the Jayhawks went on to win the championship.

Did You Know?

• Curry has the highest career free-throw percentage in NBA history (.912).
• He made at least one three-pointer in an NBA-record 268 consecutive games from 2018 to 2023.
• In 2016, he broke his own record for three-pointers made in a regular season, with 402.
• Curry was named one of Time's 100 most influential people in the world in 2016.
• He has led the NBA in worldwide jersey sales six times.