The Life And Times Of Warriors’ Star Stephen Curry
During his High School career, Stephen Curry dreamed of playing at Virginia Tech, his Dad Dell's Alma Mater. The Hokies however, refused to offer Curry a scholarship, pointing to his 160-pound body. He has come a long way since then. Steph is now a 3-time NBA Champion, 2-time MVP and is considered one of the greatest shooters who ever lived. In addition, he is a dedicated family man to his wife, Ayesha and his 3 children. Following Golden State's 5th consecutive trip to the NBA finals, let's take a closer look at Curry's career, his family and his future.
Two Incredible Athletes Meet And Fall In Love
The story of Stephen Curry begins at Virginia Tech. His Father, Dell, was already a star basketball player for the Hokies when he met his Mother Sonya. Sonya, also a great athlete, was in Blacksburg on a volleyball recruiting trip. Sonya decided to begin her volleyball career at VT and became an All-Conference player.
Dell became an all-time great basketball player for the school and when his career ended, he was Virginia Tech's second all-time leading scorer and the school leader in steals. The couple would marry and while they would move often due to Dell's career, they settled down in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Dell Curry Is Drafted Into The NBA In 1986
With the 15th pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, the Utah Jazz selected Dell Curry. This was the start to a long and fruitful career. Known as a sharpshooter, the 6-4 Shooting Guard would also go on to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets, Toronto Raptors and the Milwaukee Bucks.
Curry would achieve his greatest success as one of the inaugural members of the expansion Hornets. In 1994, he would win the NBA's 6th Man of the Year award after posting a 16.3 PPG scoring average to go along with 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. Dell would retire following the 2001-02 season.
Stephen Is Born In 1988
Two years after Dell was drafted by the Jazz, Sonya gave birth to Stephen Curry on March 14th, 1988. The future NBA MVP was born in Akron, Ohio as his father was, at that point, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. His full given name is actually Wardell (his Father's full first name) Stephen Curry II.
Obviously, he would go by Stephen or Steph growing up. Dell's frequent moving of his family would stop the next year when he became a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Curry played in Charlotte for the next 10 seasons, allowing him to raise his family in North Carolina.
Steph's Brother Seth is Born in 1990
Stephen's younger brother, Seth was born on August 23rd of 1990. Like his big brother, Seth was crazy about basketball and the boys grew up competing against one another. Seth would begin his NCAA career at Liberty University before transferring to basketball powerhouse, Duke.
After a fine career with the Blue Devils, Seth bounced around in the NBA for a bit. He initially signed with the Golden State Warriors before playing for the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks. Seth found a more permanent home in 2018, signing with the Portland Trailblazers. He has become an important reserve for the Blazers.
The Boys Learn The Game From Their Father
Stephen Curry and Seth had the special advantage of having a Father who played in the NBA. The boys relished the opportunity of shooting around with NBA players before games. During the 1992 Three-Point Shooting Competition, Steph was taken care of by Biserka Petrovic, mother of late Croatian basketball legend Drazen Petrovic.
In 2015, Curry sent Mrs. Petrovic a jersey he had worn during the 2015 NBA Finals. He had done this both in admiration for the late Shooting Guard and also in appreciation for Biserka's warm care for him back in 1992. The jersey is now on display at the Drazen Petrovic Memorial Center.
Steph Meets Future Wife Ayesha in 2003
Steph and his wife Ayesha have the kind of fairy tale story you would expect in a romantic comedy. Born and raised in Toronto, Ayesha moved to North Carolina in 2003. Soon after, she met Stephen through a church youth group. The two did not begin dating at that time, but reconnected later when Ayesha was pursuing an acting career in Hollywood and Steph was in town for an awards show.
The now Mother of three experienced success as an actress appearing in television shows and music videos. She has now become a celebrity chef through her YouTube channel, Ayesha's Homemade.
Stephen Becomes a High School Basketball Star
All the work shooting around with Dell and Seth paid off as Steph became a High School Basketball star at Charlotte Christian School. The Point Guard earned All-State honors and his team appeared in 3 straight North Carolina State Playoffs. Stephen wanted to follow in his Father's footsteps and play for the Virginia Tech Hokies.
Sadly, the Hokies were only willing to give Curry a walk-on opportunity due to his skinny 160-pound frame. Steph, however, was sought after by other college basketball teams. He eventually accepted a scholarship offer from Davidson College, who had pursued him for the last 3 years.
An Incredible NCAA Tournament Appearance Makes Curry a National Star
While Davidson College was far from a basketball powerhouse, Curry was able to lead the Hilltoppers to the 2008 NCAA tournament. First, Davidson defeated favored Gonzaga behind Curry's 40 points. In the next game against Georgetown, the Hilltoppers won 74-70 and Steph scored 30 points. In the Sweet Sixteen against Wisconsin, Curry dropped 33 points leading his team to a 73-56 victory.
While Davidson lost their Elite Eight game against Kansas, Curry starred again, scoring 25 points. Despite Davidson not even making the Final Four, Stephen was named the Most Outstanding Player in the Midwest region. While he entered the tournament a relative unknown, Steph was now on the national scene.
The Warriors Make Curry A Lottery Pick
Stephen Curry entered his college career as a skinny kid that many NCAA teams weren't willing to take a chance on. He ended his college career by becoming the 7th overall pick in the 2009 draft. Most importantly Steph found a home with a team that needed him to play for them right away.
The Point Guard started 77 games for the Warriors and averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists per game. He quickly became a key piece in Golden State's hopes for future success. After his successful year, Curry was unanimously voted to the NBA All Rookie First Team.
Stephen And Ayesha Marry In 2011
After a few years of dating, Stephen and Ayseha married in 2011. The partnership has been especially rewarding for both of them. According to Ayesha, "Marriage has given me a little family of my own. We hold each other accountable, love each other and always are there for each other.
Steph appreciates how Ayesha handles his unique career and is able to take their family life in stride. He told ABC News, "I am blessed with a wife that's willing to travel with me. I don't know what I'd do if she wasn't able to be there with me to go to different events."
Riley Curry Enters The World In 2012
In 2012, Stephen and Ayesha had their first child, a daughter named Riley. The little girl made the national news when she joined her father during a post-game press conference. She was a natural and charmed the media with her precociousness. Riley was soon a star like her parents and was invited to appear at events like the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards.
Curry later told The Undefeated that exposing Riley to the bright lights may have been a mistake. He told the website, "If I could take that one back, I probably would, just because my goal is just to… give my kids the best chance at success and at seeing the world in the proper way."
Steph Becomes A Superstar
While Curry had been a very good young player, injuries and lock-out shortened season had delayed his transition to superstardom. The complete breakout occurred during the 2013-14 season. The Point Guard averaged 24.0 points per game to go along with 8.5 assists and 4.3 rebounds.
Halfway through the season, he was rewarded for his excellent play with his very first All-Star game bid. The Warriors also made the postseason as the 6th seed but were eliminated after a grueling seven-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers. After the season ended, Curry was awarded a place on the All-NBA Second Team.
Curry Captures His First NBA Title In 2015
Following the 2013-14 season, the Warriors hired former NBA player and General Manager, Steve Kerr, to become their Head Coach. The addition of Kerr was a match made in heaven and the Warriors won 67 games. Curry had a fantastic season and was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player.
He was even better in the playoffs as Golden State tore through the competition to reach the finals against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Thanks to Curry's strong play, the Warriors were able to capture the title in 6 games. For the series, Stephen had averages of 26.0 points and 6.3 assists per game.
2015: Ryan Curry Is Born
In 2015, Stephen and Ayesha welcomed a second daughter, Ryan into their family. The growing brood was delighted to have another child and a new friend for Riley. Fans of the Curry's were introduced to a young Ryan through the Facebook channel, Stephen vs. The Game. In a video clip, Ryan complains that her older sister isn't sharing her potato chips with her.
Stephen also shows off some serious non-basketball related skills as he skillfully puts braids in Ryan's hair. Curry is forced to multitask, reprimanding Riley for teasing her little sister, saying, "No, that's not how you present sharing."
Steph Becomes The NBA's First Unanimous MVP
After capturing his first MVP Award and winning the NBA Championship, there was nowhere to go for Curry than up. And go up he did during the 2015-16 NBA Season. Forming a brilliant young nucleus with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, Steph helped lead the Warriors to an NBA record 73 wins.
During the season, Curry became just the 7th player in NBA history to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from three-point range and 90% from the free throw line. Finishing the season with averages of 30.1 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds, Curry became the NBA's first ever unanimous MVP.
The Warriors Capture The 2017 Title
Despite Stephen's incredible 2015-16 season, the team failed to capture that year's NBA Title. After running up a 3-1 series lead, the team fell to the Cleveland Cavaliers in what will go down as one of the most famous 7 game series of all time. The 2016-17 team came out hungry to get revenge for that startling loss.
Curry, Thompson, and Green were now joined by free agent addition and NBA megastar, Kevin Durant. The Warriors barnstormed their way through the Western Conference playoffs. Facing off again against the Cavaliers, Golden State got their revenge by making quick work of Cleveland and capturing the title in 5 games.
Steph Inks A Massive Contract Extension
With the incredible success they had achieved together, Curry and the Warriors had no intentions of parting ways. Following the second title and his two MVP awards, Stephen was eligible to receive a "supermax" contract. He became the first NBA player to receive the supermax offer as it is contingent on receiving accolades like First Team All-NBA.
On the first day eligible, July 1st, Curry signed a 5 year $201 million contract with the Warriors. It was a significant raise from his last contract which paid him $11 million per year. The contract will keep Curry in Golden State until the end of the 2021-22 season.
The Warriors And Curry Capture A Third Title In 2018
Plenty of NBA teams have won 2 championships with essentially the same nucleus. What makes a team a true dynasty is capturing that 3rd title in a relatively short window. That was the goal of the 2017-18 Warriors team. The hopes were momentarily derailed after Curry suffered a sprain of his medial collateral ligament, costing him six weeks of action.
He returned during the second round of the playoffs against Memphis. After dispatching the Grizzlies, Golden State was able to knock off James Harden and the Houston Rockets in 7 games. This pitted them, again, against Cleveland, who they swept in just 4 games.
The Curry Family Welcomes Son, Cannon
The Currys welcomed another member to the family in July of 2018 when Cannon was born. When Cannon was born, the family of 5 were living in the East Bay neighborhood of Alamo. The Currys had bought the home in 2016. The family sold the 5 bedroom, 10 bathroom, 10,290 square foot house in February of 2019.
The move was necessitated by the Warriors move from Oakland to San Francisco. In an April podcast with Daveed Diggs, Curry told the actor, "I have a special spot in my heart that's obvious in my relationship with our fan base and in our relationship with Oakland. It’s going to be hard to turn a page. Oakland has held us down for 47 years."
Steph And Seth Square Off In Western Conference Finals
In May of 2019, Stephen and Seth Curry made history by becoming the first pair of brothers to ever face off against each other in a Conference Championship. While it was hard on the brothers who grew up competing against each other, it was even harder on their parents. Sonya and Dell logically chose sides by flipping a coin with Dell getting the Warriors and Sonya getting the Trailblazers.
Unfortunately for Seth and the Blazers, the Warriors were in top form and swept Portland out of the playoffs. Golden State, however, would fall in the Championship series against the Toronto Raptors after catastrophic injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson.
