Stephen Curry Selection

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Lore & Background

Curry is a four-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), an NBA Finals MVP, and a one-time NBA All-Star Game MVP. He is also a two-time NBA scoring champion, a 12-time NBA All-Star, and a 10-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 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. 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.

In Their Own Story

The Warriors selected Curry seventh overall in the 2009 NBA draft, bypassing concerns about his slender frame. He had previously turned down a walk-on offer from Virginia Tech to attend Davidson, where he was named Conference Player of the Year twice. Upon entering the league, Curry quickly validated the selection by leading the Warriors to their first championship since 1975 in the 2014–15 season. That same year, he won his first MVP award. The following season made history: he became the first player unanimously voted MVP while shooting above 50-40-90 and leading the league in scoring. His team broke the regular-season win record with 73 victories, though they lost the 2016 Finals to Cleveland after holding a 3–1 lead.

Reader's Guide

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. In 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. In his sophomore season, he helped the Wildcats to a 26–6 regular-season record, a 20–0 conference record, and a trip to the 2008 NCAA tournament. He 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. In his junior season, Curry became Davidson's all-time leading scorer with 34 points in a 99–56 win against Georgia Southern on February 28, 2009. He missed one game in his college career due to a rolled ankle, which occurred in the second half of a win over Furman on February 14, 2009, causing him to miss the February 18 game against The Citadel.

Did You Know?

• Curry set the NCAA single-season record for three-pointers made (162) as a sophomore.
• He is the first player to be unanimously voted MVP and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90.
• Curry has led the NBA in three-pointers made a record eight times.
• He missed only one college game due to a rolled ankle against Furman, not The Citadel.