Wardell Stephen Curry II (born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Widely considered to be the greatest shooter and one of the greatest players in NBA history, Curry is credited with revolutionizing the sport by inspiring teams and players to take more three-point shots. He is a four-time NBA champion, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), an NBA Finals MVP, an NBA All-Star Game MVP, and was named the inaugural NBA Western Conference Finals MVP. He is also a two-time NBA scoring champion, a ten-time NBA All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA selection (including four on the First Team), and has won two gold medals at the FIBA World Cup as part of the U.S. men's national team.
Curry is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry, and the older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry. He played college basketball for Davidson. There, he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year and set the all-time scoring record for both Davidson and the Southern Conference. During his sophomore year, Curry also set the single-season NCAA record for three-pointers made (162). Curry was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. During the 2012–13 season, he set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season with 272. The next season, Curry and teammate Klay Thompson set the NBA record for combined threes in a season with 484 as the pair were given the nickname the "Splash Brothers".
In 2014–15, Curry eclipsed his own record by knocking down his 273rd three-pointer on April 9, 2015, finishing the regular season with 286 three-pointers and was named MVP after leading the Warriors to a franchise-record and NBA-best 67 wins on the season. In the 2015 NBA Finals, Curry led the Warriors to their first NBA championship since 1975 over the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50–40–90. That same year, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season, posting a 73–9 record, en route to reaching the 2016 Finals, which they lost to the Cavaliers in Game 7. Curry helped the Warriors return to the NBA Finals in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018 over the Cavaliers, before being defeated by the Toronto Raptors in 2019. After injury struggles and missing the playoffs in 2020 and 2021, Curry won a fourth championship with the Warriors against the Boston Celtics in 2022, and was named Finals MVP for the first time in his career. The same season, Curry set the NBA record for career three-pointers, surpassing Ray Allen.
Curry is the holder of numerous other records, notably for his efficiency and three-point shooting. He has the highest career free-throw percentage in NBA history (91.0%) and has led the league in three-pointers made a record eight times. In 2013. he set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season with 272, surpassed that record in 2015 (286), and again in 2016 (402).
Early life[]
Curry was born in Akron, Ohio (the same hospital where LeBron James had been born slightly over three years earlier), but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. Curry comes from an athletic family. His father Dell played professional basketball in National Basketball Association (NBA) mainly with the Charlotte Hornets, while his mother, Sonya played volleyball at Virginia Tech. His younger brother, Seth, is also a professional basketball player and his younger sister, Sydel, plays college volleyball at Elon University.
Curry's father often took him and his younger brother Seth to his games, where they would sometimes shoot around with his team during warm-ups. As a child, he attended a Montessori school that had been started by his mother, Sonya.
From 2001 to 2002, Curry lived in Toronto during his father's tenure with the Toronto Raptors, attending middle school as an eighth grade student at Queensway Christian College in Etobicoke, Ontario. There, he was a member of the grades 7 and 8 boys basketball team, leading them to an undefeated season.
High school career[]
Curry attended Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Charlotte Christian School, Curry was named all-state, all-conference, and team MVP while he led his team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances. He finished his senior season by shooting over 48% from three-point range. Despite the success that Curry had in high school, the then 6'0, 160-pound senior did not receive any scholarship offers from major-conference schools. Since Curry's father played for Virginia Tech and is in their Hall of Fame, Curry wanted to play for the Hokies, but the Hokies only offered him a place as a walk-on. Curry chose Davidson College, a school that had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1969.
College career[]
Freshman season[]
Before Curry even played one college game, head coach Bob McKillop said at a Davidson alumni event, "Wait 'til you see Steph Curry. He is something special." In his first collegiate game, against Eastern Michigan, Curry finished with 15 points but committed 13 turnovers. In the next game, against Michigan, he scored 32 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Curry finished the season leading the Southern Conference in scoring with 21.5 points per game. He was second in the nation among freshmen in scoring, behind only Kevin Durant of Texas. Curry's scoring ability helped the Wildcats to a 29–5 overall record and a Southern Conference regular season title. On March 2, 2007, in the Southern Conference tournament semi-finals against Furman, Curry made his 113th three-pointer of the year, breaking Keydren Clark's NCAA freshman season record for 3-point field goals.
Curry eclipsed the school freshman scoring record with his 502nd point against Chattanooga on February 6, 2007. On March 15, 2007, Davidson marched into the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed set to play Maryland; despite Curry's game-high 30 points, Davidson lost 82–70. 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 first team All-SoCon. He was also honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major. After the season ended, he was selected for the USA team to appear at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championships in which he averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists in 19.4 minutes, helping team USA to a silver medal finish.
Sophomore season[]
Stephen during the 2008 NCAA tournament.
In his sophomore season in 2007–08, Curry had grown to his adult height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and again led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per game while adding 4.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game. He led the Wildcats to a 26–6 regular season record, and a 20–0 conference record. As a result, Davidson earned its third straight NCAA Tournament bid.
On March 21, 2008, Davidson matched up with seventh seeded Gonzaga. Gonzaga led by eleven 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, 82–76. Curry ended the game with 40 points while also going 8-for-10 from 3-point range. On March 23, Davidson played second seeded Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown, ranked eighth nationally, entered the game as a heavy favorite after an appearance in the Final Four in 2007. Curry managed just five points in the first half of the game as Davidson trailed by as many as 17 points, but his 25 second-half points led Davidson to a 74–70 comeback victory.
On March 28, 2008, Curry led Davidson to another win against third-seeded Wisconsin. Curry 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, 2008, 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 57-59, 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 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship 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[]
After Davidson's loss in the NCAA Regional Finals against Kansas, Curry announced that he would return for his junior year. Curry stated he wanted to develop as a point guard as that would be his most likely position in the NBA. On November 18, 2008, Curry scored a career-high 44 points in Davidson's 82–78 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 97–70 win over Winthrop. On November 25, against Loyola, he was held scoreless as Loyola constantly double-teamed Curry. It was Curry's only scoreless collegiate game and just his second without double-digit points. He finished 0-for-3 from the field as Davidson won the game 78-48. In Davidson's next game (11 days later), Curry matched his career-high of 44 in a 72–67 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 99–56 win against Georgia Southern. That gave Curry 2,488 points for his career, surpassing previous school leader John Gerdy. Davidson won the 2008-09 Southern Conference regular season championship for the south division, finishing 18-2 in the conference.
In the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament, Davidson played Appalachian State in the quarterfinals and won 84-68. Curry scored 43 points, which is the third most points in Southern Conference tournament history.[38] In the semifinals, against the College of Charleston, Curry had 20 points, but Davidson lost 52-59. 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 70-63. Davidson would then fall 68-80 to the Saint Mary's Gaels in the second round. Curry registered 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in what was his final game for the Wildcats.
He finished his final season at Davidson averaging 28.6 points, 5.6 assists, and 2.5 steals. He was the NCAA scoring leader and was named a consensus first team All-American. Although he opted out of his senior year at Davidson, Curry stated that he still planned to earn his degree.
College statistics[]
| Season | Team | G | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | 3P% | FT% | MIN | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Davidson Wildcats | 34 | 21.5 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.8 | 0.2 | .463 | .408 | .855 | 30.9 | 2.8 |
| 2007–08 | Davidson Wildcats | 36 | 25.9 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 0.4 | .483 | .439 | .894 | 33.1 | 2.6 |
| 2008–09 | Davidson Wildcats | 34 | 28.6 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 2.5 | 0.2 | .454 | .387 | .876 | 33.7 | 3.7 |
| Totals | 104 | 25.3 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.1 | 0.3 | .467 | .412 | .876 | 32.6 | 3.0 | |
College Awards & Honors[]
- 2× SoCon Player of the Year (2008–2009)
- Consensus first-team All-American (2009)
- Consensus second-team All-American (2008)
- 2× First-team All-SoCon (2008–2009)
- 2× SoCon Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Player (2007-2008)
- 3× SoCon first-team All-Tournament (2007–2009)
- SoCon Freshman of the Year (2007)
- SoCon All-Freshmen Team (2007)
College Records[]
- NCAA Division I scoring leader (2009)
- Single-season NCAA 3-point field goals (162, 2007–08)
- Single-season NCAA freshman 3-point field goals (122, 2006–07)
Davidson College Records[]
- All-time leading scorer in Davidson College history (2635)
- All-time Davidson College leader in 3-point field-goals made (414)
- All-time Davidson College leader in 30-point games (30)
- All-time Davidson College leader in 40-point games (6)
- Single-season Davidson College points (974, 2008–09)
- Single-season Davidson College steals (86, 2008–09)
- Single-season Davidson College freshman points (730, 2006–07)
Professional career[]
Golden State Warriors (2009–present)[]
Early seasons and injuries (2009–12)[]
Curry defending Allen Iverson in 2009.
The Golden State Warriors selected Curry with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. He subsequently signed a four-year, $12.7 million contract in July 2009. On February 10, 2010, Curry got his first career triple-double when he recorded 36 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds. On April 7, 2010, Curry recorded 27 points, 14 assists, 8 rebounds, and 7 steals as then-head coach Don Nelson set a new NBA record for career coaching wins with 1,333. Curry was a contender for the 2009–10 NBA Rookie of the Year Award, but ended up finishing second behind Tyreke Evans. He was one of three unanimous selections to the All-Rookie First Team. Curry averaged 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.9 steals for the season.
Curry averaged 18.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.5 steals in his second season. During the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, he won the Skills Challenge. Curry led the NBA in free-throw percentage and set a new Warriors single-season record by shooting 93.4%, passing Rick Barry's previous mark of 92.4%. He was also the recipient of the 2010–11 NBA Sportsmanship Award. In May 2011, Curry had surgery on his right ankle to repair torn ligaments he got from multiple sprains during the 2010–11 season.
Curry was ready to play by the start of the lockout-shortened season with his new head coach Mark Jackson, but he sprained his surgically repaired right ankle during an exhibition game at Sacramento just days before the season started. The injury plagued season ended with Curry seeing action in only 26 of 66 games with averages of 14.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.5 steals.
All-Star and playoff success (2012–14)[]
Curry taking a jump shot in 2011. Holding numerous three-point shooting records and having one of the quickest releases in the NBA, Curry is often considered one of the greatest shooters of all time.
2012–13 season[]
On October 31, 2012, Curry agreed to a four-year, $44 million rookie scale contract extension with the Warriors. He went on to average 22.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on the season. On February 27, 2013, Curry scored a career-high 54 points in a 109-105 loss to the New York Knicks. He shot 18 for 28 from the field, and 11 of 13 from three-point range. His 11 three-pointers is a single-game franchise-record and trails only the 12 threes made by Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall for most threes made in a single game in NBA history. On the final day of the regular season, Curry broke the NBA record for three-pointers made in a single regular season. Curry finished the season with 272 made three pointers; 3 more than previous record holder Ray Allen. Golden State finished 47–35, earning the sixth seed in the 2013 NBA Playoffs and a matchup with the three seeded Denver Nuggets in the first round. This was the first playoff series for Curry and many of his teammates and Golden State would go on to lose to the eventual Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs in six games.
2013–14 season[]
Curry in April 2014.
On December 7, 2013, in a 108-82 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry broke Jason Richardson's franchise record for most three-point field goals made in a career with 701, doing so in fewer attempts. Curry made his first All-Star appearance after he was voted by the fans as a starter for the Western Conference. He finished the season averaging 24.0 points and 8.5 assists; both career bests. The Golden State Warriors finished with a 51-31 record and was the 6th seed in the Western Conference once again. They would face the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round. On April 27, 2014, in Game 4 of the series, Curry scored 33 points, including a then playoff career-high seven three-pointers, as the Warriors beat the Clippers 118-97. Curry and the Warriors would go on to lose to the Clippers in seven games in the midst of the Donald Sterling controversy. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time.
2014–15 season (MVP and first championship)[]
Curry averaged 7.7 assists per game during the 2014–15 NBA regular season, good enough for sixth best in the league.
On January 7, 2015, in a 117-102 win over the Indiana Pacers, Curry made his 1,000th career three-point field goal. He became the fastest player in NBA history to make 1,000 career three-pointers. It was Curry's 369th game; 88 fewer games than previous record-holder Dennis Scott (457) took to reach the milestone. On February 4, he scored a season-high 51 points on 16-of-26 shooting in a 128-114 win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Curry was the overall leading vote-getter for the 2015 NBA All-Star Game, edging last year's top vote-getter, LeBron James.
On February 14, 2015, Curry defeated teammate Klay Thompson and six others to win his first three-point contest during the 2015 NBA All-Star Weekend. Curry also wore sneakers that had Deah Shaddy Barakat's name on them (one of the victims of the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting). According to his sister Suzanne, Deah Barakat was known for his "love for basketball and anything Steph Curry." Deah's number for his intramural basketball team at North Carolina State University was Curry's #30 and he posed for a photo that was similar to one that Curry did for GQ. Curry said that Barakat's family "did a great job of reaching out to me and making me aware of the details of his life and personality [...] It was really kind of a cool deal to be able to use the platform yesterday to honor Deah and his family [...] I'm going to send them the shoes I wore yesterday. And hopefully they know that I've been thinking about them."
On April 9, 2015, Curry knocked down his 273rd three-pointer of the season, topping the mark of 272 that he set in 2012–13. He finished the game with eight three-pointers and 45 total points as he helped the Warriors rally to a 116-105 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers. On May 4, he was named the recipient of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2014–15 NBA Most Valuable Player, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only MVP winners in Warriors' franchise history (Chamberlain won the award during the 1959–60 season with what were then the Philadelphia Warriors). Despite only playing 32.7 minutes per game during the season, Curry ranked first in steals per game and free throw percentage, third in three point percentage, and sixth in points and assists per game.
On May 13, 2015, in a 98-78 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference semi-finals, Curry became the fastest player to make 100 three-pointers in the playoffs, reaching the milestone in 28 games. Ray Allen held the previous record at 35. In addition, Curry became the first player in NBA history to have six three-pointers and six steals in a single playoff game. Three days later, in the series-clinching Game 6 victory, Curry made a playoff career-high 8 three-pointers, en route to 32 points, including a buzzer-beater from behind half-court. Curry propelled the Warriors to their first Western Conference Finals since 1976. On May 23, in a 115-80 win over the Houston Rockets in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Curry broke the record for three-pointers made in a single post-season with his 59th coming in just 13 games. Reggie Miller set the previous mark of 58 in 2000 in 22 games. Curry went on to lead the Warriors to victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2015 NBA Finals with 26.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 1.8 steals in the six-game series that the Warriors won 4–2.
2015–16 season (Unanimous MVP and historic season)[]
Curry become the first unanimous voted MVP in the 2015–16 season. He won back-to-back MVPs and eventually broke the record for most games won in the regular season, breaking Michael Jordan and the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record for most wins in the season, which at the time, was 72–10. Later, Curry and his Warriors broke the record by winning one more game to have the most regular season wins, posting a 73–9 record. This was to be Curry's best season, until they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, lead by LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. They had a 3–1 lead in the 7 game series, but the Cavaliers won the championship in the 2016 NBA Finals after winning three games in a row, and the Warriors became the first NBA team in NBA Finals history to lose a series after leading 3–1.
2016–2018 (Back-to-back NBA championships)[]
Curry during Game 3 of the 2018 Finals.
On October 28, 2016, Curry hit four three-pointers against the New Orleans Pelicans to reach 1,600 for his career, becoming the 19th player to do so, as well as the fastest to reach the mark. On November 4, Curry's NBA-record streak of 157 straight games with at least one made three-pointer was snapped during the Warriors' 117–97 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers after he went 0-of-10 from three-point range. He had hit a three-pointer in every regular-season game since November 11, 2014. Three days later, he hit 13 three-pointers against New Orleans, setting an NBA record for most three-pointers made in a regular-season game. Curry shot 16-of-26 overall against the Pelicans for his first 40-point game of the season, finishing with 46 in a 116–106 win. On December 11, Curry hit two three-pointers against the Minnesota Timberwolves to pass Steve Nash for 17th on the NBA's career three-pointers list.
With 14 points against the Dallas Mavericks on December 30, Curry (11,903) passed Purvis Short (11,894) for seventh place on the Warriors' all-time scoring list. In a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on January 6, 2017, Curry had his second 40-point game of the season and reached the 12,000-point threshold, becoming the seventh player in Warriors history to score 12,000 career points. On January 19, Curry was named a starter on the Western Conference All-Star team for the 2017 NBA All-Star Game. On February 2, he hit his 200th three-pointer of the season in the Warriors' 133–120 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, making him the first player in NBA history to have 200 or more three-pointers in five consecutive seasons. On March 5, he scored 31 points and moved into the top 10 on the NBA's career three-point list in a 112–105 win over the New York Knicks. Curry hit five three-pointers, passing Chauncey Billups for 10th place.
Curry helped the Warriors sweep through the first two rounds of the playoffs. In Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, Curry scored 40 points and hit a tying 3-pointer with 1:48 remaining to help the Warriors rally from a 25-point deficit to win 113–111; the Warriors overcame their largest halftime deficit ever in the postseason at 20 points. In a 120–108 Game 3 win, Curry scored 21 points and became the franchise leader in postseason points, passing Rick Barry. They went up 3–0 in the series, becoming the third team in NBA history to win their first 11 playoff games. His 36 points in Game 4 led to a 129–115 victory that saw the Warriors advance to the NBA Finals for a third straight year while becoming the first team in league history to start the playoffs 12–0. In Game 2 of the 2017 NBA Finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Curry recorded his first career postseason triple-double with 32 points, 11 assists, and 10 rebounds to help the Warriors go up 2–0 in the series with a 132–113 win. Curry helped the Warriors clinch the series and the championship in Game 5 with 34 points, 10 assists, and six rebounds, as Golden State claimed its second title in three years.
On July 1, 2017, Curry agreed to a five-year, $201 million extension with the Warriors, becoming the first NBA player to sign a supermax contract worth over $200 million. He officially signed the contract on July 25. On December 1, he scored 23 points and passed Jason Kidd for eighth place on the career three-pointers made list in a 133–112 win over the Orlando Magic. On December 4, in a 125–115 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, Curry hit five three-pointers to become the fastest NBA player to achieve the milestone of 2,000 career three-pointers, achieving that mark in just 597 games, 227 less than the previous fastest player to achieve that mark, Ray Allen. In that same game, Curry injured his right ankle and subsequently missed 11 games, returning to action on December 30 and scoring 38 points with a season-high 10 3-pointers in a 141–128 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry shot 13 for 17 and 10 of 13 from deep in 26 minutes for his ninth 30-point game of the season. It also marked Curry's ninth career game with 10 or more 3s, the most by any player in NBA history.
On January 6, in a 121–105 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry scored 45 points in three quarters. On January 25, he scored 25 points in a 126–113 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Curry became the fifth player in Warriors history to score 14,000 points, ending the game with 14,023 and joining Wilt Chamberlain (17,783), Rick Barry (16,447), Paul Arizin (16,266), and Chris Mullin (16,235) on the franchise list. On January 27, he scored 49 points—with 13 of those over the final 1:42—and hit eight 3-pointers, lifting the Warriors past the Boston Celtics 109–105. On February 22, he had a 44-point effort with eight 3-pointers in a 134–127 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. It was his third 40-point game of the season. On March 2, in a 114–109 win over the Atlanta Hawks, Curry made his 200th 3-point field goal of the season, becoming the first player in NBA history with at least 200 3-pointers in six seasons, having reached the mark in every season since 2012–13. Four days later, in a 114–101 win over the Nets, Curry became the seventh player in Warriors history to make 5,000 career field goals, joining Chamberlain, Barry, Mullin, Arizin, Jeff Mullins, and Nate Thurmond.
On March 23, against the Hawks, Curry suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain to his left knee. He subsequently missed nearly six weeks, returning to action in Game 2 of the Warriors' second-round playoff series against the Pelicans. He came off the bench to score 28 points in a 121–116 win. In Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals, Curry scored 35 points with five 3-pointers in a 126–85 win over the Houston Rockets. The 41-point victory was the largest in franchise history during the postseason. In Game 6, Curry scored 29 points with five 3-pointers, as the Warriors rallied from an early 17-point deficit to stave off elimination with a 115–86 victory over the Rockets. In Game 7, Curry recorded 27 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds, as the Warriors earned a fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals by beating the Rockets 101–92.
In Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Curry hit a Finals-record nine 3-pointers and scored 33 points in a 122–103 win over the Cavaliers. In Game 4, Curry led all scorers with 37 points in a 108–85 win that helped the Warriors clinch their second straight championship with a series sweep over the Cavaliers. Many felt that he should have won Finals MVP. In response, Curry stated, "At the end of the day, I'm not going to let a [Finals] MVP trophy define my career. Three titles ... Wherever that puts us in the conversation in the history of the NBA ... I'm a three-time champ." Rohan Nadkarni of Sports Illustrated argued that "the Golden State dynasty started with Stephen Curry. He, for numerous reasons stretching from his incredible talent to his previous ankle injuries, put the Warriors in place to win their third championship in four seasons."
2018–19 season (Fifth consecutive Finals and pursuit of a three-peat)[]
On October 21, 2018, Curry had 30 points and six 3-pointers in a 100–98 loss to the Denver Nuggets, thus moving past Paul Pierce for sixth place on the NBA's career three-point list. Three days later, he scored 51 points with 11 3-pointers in only three quarters in a 144–122 win over the Washington Wizards. He scored 31 in the first half and finished with his sixth career 50-point game and made 10 or more 3s for the 10th time. Curry's third 3-pointer of the night moved him past Jamal Crawford (2,153) for fifth place on the NBA's career list. On October 28, he made seven 3-pointers and finished with 35 points in a 120–114 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Over the first seven games of the season, he made at least five 3-pointers in all seven games, breaking George McCloud's record of six games in a row during the 1995–96 season. The Warriors started the season with a 10–1 record. On November 8 against the Milwaukee Bucks, Curry left the game during the third quarter with a groin injury and the Warriors were unable to recover in a 134–111 loss. Without Curry, the Warriors dropped to 12–7 on November 21 after enduring their first four-game losing streak since March 2013. The Warriors ended November with a 15–8 record, with Curry's strained left groin sidelining him for 11 straight games.
Despite Curry's 27 points in his return to the line-up on December 1, the Warriors were defeated 111–102 by the Detroit Pistons. On December 17, he scored 20 points in a 110–93 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming just the fifth player in Warriors history to score 15,000 points during the regular season, joining Wilt Chamberlain (17,783), Rick Barry (16,447), Paul Arizin (16,266) and Chris Mullin (16,235). On December 23, he scored 42 points and made a layup with 0.5 seconds left to lift the Warriors to a 129–127 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On January 5, he had 10 3-pointers and scored 20 of his 42 points in the fourth quarter of the Warriors' 127–123 win over the Sacramento Kings. On January 11, in a 146–109 win over the Chicago Bulls, Curry made five 3-pointers to surpass Jason Terry (2,282) and move into third place all-time in NBA history behind Ray Allen (2,973) and Reggie Miller (2,560). Two days later, he scored 48 points and hit a season high-tying 11 3-pointers in a 119–114 win over the Dallas Mavericks. On January 16, he scored 41 points with nine 3-pointers to become the first player in NBA history to make eight or more 3s in three straight games, as the Warriors defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 147–140. On January 31, he scored 41 points with 10 3-pointers in a 113–104 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 21, he scored 36 points with 10 3-pointers in a 125–123 win over the Kings. On March 16 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Curry reached 16,000 career points.[158] On March 29, he made 11 3-pointers and scored 37 points in a 131–130 overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On April 2, in a 116–102 win over the Nuggets, Curry made five or more 3-pointers in a career-best nine straight games and moved past Mullin for fourth place on the Warriors all-time points list. On April 5, he scored 40 points in a 120–114 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, thus moving past Arizin for third place on the Warriors all-time points list.
The Warriors entered the playoffs as the first seed in the Western Conference with a 57–25 record. In Game 1 of the Warriors' first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, Curry scored 38 points and made eight 3-pointers to give him the most in postseason history, passing Ray Allen (385). He also had a postseason career-high 15 rebounds and seven assists in a 121–104 win. In Game 6 of the second round, Curry bounced back from the first scoreless first half of his playoff career to score 33 points in the last two quarters to help the Warriors eliminate the Houston Rockets with a 118–113 win and advance to the Western Conference Finals. In Game 1 of the Conference Finals, Curry matched his postseason career high with nine 3-pointers to finish with 36 points in a 116–94 win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He averaged a series career-high 36.5 points to help the Warriors sweep the Trail Blazers, advancing to their fifth consecutive NBA Finals. It was the highest average by a player in a four-game sweep in NBA history. Curry became the sixth player in NBA history to score 35 or more in the first four games of a series. In Game 4, he had 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 119–117 overtime win, as he and Draymond Green became the first teammates in league history to have a triple-double in the same playoff game. In Game 3 of the 2019 Finals, Curry scored a playoff career-high 47 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists in a 123–109 loss to Toronto Raptors. In Game 5, he helped the Warriors stave off elimination with 31 points in a 106–105 win, thus cutting the Raptors' series lead to 3–2. In Game 6, Curry scored 21 points, but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on 3-pointers, including missing a contested 3-pointer in the waning moments, as the Warriors lost the game and the series with a 114–110 defeat, ending their bid for a threepeat.
2019–2021 (Injury struggles and comeback)[]
Curry was expected to take on a greater offensive load in the 2019–20 season with Thompson out injured and Kevin Durant having left the Warriors as a free agent to the Brooklyn Nets. On October 30, 2019, against the Phoenix Suns in the fourth game of the season, Curry drove to the basket and collided with the Suns' Aron Baynes, who was trying to take a charge. Baynes fell on Curry's left hand, which required surgery to repair his broken second metacarpal. He was expected to be out at least three months. On March 5, 2020, Curry returned against the defending NBA champion Toronto Raptors and recorded 23 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in a 121–113 Warriors loss.
On December 27, 2020, Curry put up 36 points in a 129–128 win over the Chicago Bulls. With this game, he joined Ray Allen and Reggie Miller as the only players to have scored more than 2,500 career three-pointers in NBA history. On January 3, 2021, Curry scored a career-high 62 points in a 137–122 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. On January 4, he was named the Player of the Week for the Western Conference. On January 23, in a game against the Utah Jazz, Curry hit five three-pointers, moving his career total up to 2,562, passing Miller to go up to second in all time career three-pointers made, trailing only Allen. At the 2021 All-Star Game, he won his second Three-Point Contest after making his last shot in the final round to edge Mike Conley Jr. 28–27. On March 15, against the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry passed Guy Rodgers (4,855) as the franchise's leader in career assists.
On April 12, Curry scored 53 points in a 116–107 win against the Denver Nuggets, and he surpassed Chamberlain (17,783) to become the franchise's all-time scoring leader. It was part of an 11-game stretch in April in which Curry scored at least 30 points each game, surpassing Kobe Bryant's previous record for a player age 33 or older. Curry also had 78 three-pointers during that span, the most in NBA history over 11 regular season games. His play rekindled talk of him being a candidate for his third MVP award. He was named the Western Conference Player of the Month for April after averaging 37.3 points on 51.8% shooting, scoring 30 or more points in 13 of his 15 games. He became first NBA player to average 35 points and shoot 50–40–90 in a calendar month. His 96 three-pointers were an NBA record for a month, breaking James Harden's mark of 82 set in November 2019. Curry made 46.6% of his 3's in that span, including four games in which he made 10 or more 3-pointers. He scored 46 points in the regular-season finale against Memphis to hold off Bradley Beal and secure his second scoring title, finishing with a 32.0 point average.
2021–22 season: most three-pointers made, All-Star Game MVP, fourth championship, and Finals MVP[]
.jpg){kind=link}
Curry warming up before Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals in June 2022.
On October 19, 2021, in the Warriors' season-opener, Curry recorded his eighth career triple-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121–114 win against the Los Angeles Lakers. On October 21, Curry put up 45 points, with 25 of those coming from the first quarter on 9-of-9 shooting from the field including five three-pointers, and 10 rebounds in a 115–113 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. On November 8, Curry scored 50 points with 10 assists on nine three-pointers made in a 127–113 win over the Atlanta Hawks. It was the first time in Curry's career that he posted 50 points and 10 assists in the same game as he unseated Wilt Chamberlain as the oldest player in history to put up that single-game line. On November 12 against the Chicago Bulls, Curry became the NBA's career leader for 3-pointers in both regular season and playoffs with 3,366, passing Ray Allen (3,358). On November 18, Curry scored 40 points, 20 of which in the fourth quarter, behind nine three-pointers, to lead Golden State to a 104–89 comeback victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. On December 14 against the New York Knicks, Curry made his 2,974th career 3-pointer to pass Ray Allen and become the NBA's all-time leader in made 3-pointers. On January 21, 2022, Curry hit his first career buzzer-beating game-winner in a 105–103 win over the Houston Rockets, on a night where he put up 22 points and 12 assists. On January 31, Curry scored 40 points, 21 of which in the fourth quarter, behind 7 three-pointers and dished out 9 assists to lead Golden State to a 122–108 victory over the Rockets. His 21 fourth-quarter points were the highest of his career.
In the 2022 NBA All-Star Game held on February 20, Curry's Team LeBron defeated Team Durant 163–160. Curry scored 50 points (just 2 points shy of the All-Star Game record set by Anthony Davis in 2017); he also set the record for most three-pointers made in an All-Star quarter (6), half (8), and game (16), and was named the All-Star Game MVP. On February 24, Curry had a season-high 14 assists with 18 points in a 132–95 blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers. On March 10, Curry scored 34 points in a 113–102 win over the Denver Nuggets. He became the 49th player in NBA history to rack up 20,000 points. On March 14, his 34th birthday, Curry scored 47 points in a 126–112 win over the Washington Wizards. On March 16, in a 110–88 loss to the Boston Celtics, Curry suffered a sprained ligament in his left foot after having it rolled over by a diving Marcus Smart and was ruled out indefinitely. On April 1, he was ruled out for the remainder of the regular season. On May 9, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry became the first player in NBA history to make 500 career playoff threes. During the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, he averaged 23.8 points, 7.4 assists, and 6.6 rebounds per game. After the Warriors won the series in five games, Curry was named the unanimous and inaugural winner of the Western Conference Finals MVP Award. On June 10, in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Curry logged 43 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists in a 107–97 victory over the Boston Celtics to even the series at 2–2. He became the first player in NBA history to make 5+ threes in four consecutive Finals games. Curry (at age 34 years, 88 days) also became the second-oldest player in NBA Finals history to record a 40-point, 10-rebound game behind only LeBron James in 2020 (at age 35 years, 284 days). In Game 5 of the Finals, Curry passed John Havlicek for 10th on the all-time Finals assists list. In Game 6 of the Finals, Curry scored 34 points along with 7 rebounds, 7 assists and led the Warriors to a 103–90 victory over the Celtics. He was named the MVP of the 2022 NBA Championship Series.
Defending the title (2022–2023)[]
On November 7, 2022, Curry recorded 47 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and zero turnovers as the Warriors beat the Sacramento Kings 116–113 to snap a five-game losing streak. On November 16, Curry scored 50 points alongside nine rebounds and six assists in a 130–119 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Curry also tied Michael Jordan for the second-most 50-point games after turning 30 years old, with six. On November 20, Curry posted a season-high 15 assists along with 33 points on 7-of-14 shooting from three-point range in a 127–120 win over the Houston Rockets. Curry, Klay Thompson, and Andrew Wiggins combined for 23 made three-pointers, the most three-pointers made in a game by a trio in NBA history. Curry (at age 34 years, 251 days) also became the second oldest player in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 15 assists in a game. On December 10, in a rematch of the 2022 NBA Finals, Curry recorded 32 points, six rebounds, and seven assists in a 123–107 win over the Boston Celtics.
On January 25, 2023, in a 122–120 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry was ejected with 1:14 remaining in the fourth quarter for throwing a mouthpiece into the stands, marking the third time that Curry was ejected during his career. Despite this, the Warriors managed to win the game on a game-winning layup by Jordan Poole, though Curry scored a game-high 34 points before being ejected. The next day, Curry was named a Western Conference starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, marking his ninth overall selection. On January 30, Curry put up 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting from the field, alongside eight rebounds and 12 assists in a 128–120 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also surpassed Wilt Chamberlain (7,216) for the most field goals made in Warriors history with 7,222. On March 15, Curry scored 50 points on 8-of-14 shooting from three-point range in a 134–126 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He became the first player in NBA history to score at least 10,000 career points off of three-pointers. Curry also surpassed Michael Jordan as having the most 50+ point games after turning 30 years old and is now tied with Chamberlain at 7 games.
In Game 7 of the Warriors' first round playoff series against the Sacramento Kings, Curry scored a playoff career-high 50 points in a 120–100 win. He also surpassed former teammate Kevin Durant's previous record of 48, for the most points scored in a Game 7 in NBA history; however, this record was broken by Jayson Tatum later that year. He also tied Karl Malone's record for the most points in a playoff game at age 35 or older. In Game 4 of the conference semifinals against the Lakers, Curry logged his third postseason career triple-double with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 14 assists and three steals in a 104–101 loss. In the same game, he also became the first NBA player to ever score 4,000 career threes. The Warriors eventually lost the series to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
2023–2024[]
On November 1, 2023, Curry became the first player in NBA history to make a three-pointer in 250 consecutive regular season games. On November 3, he scored a game-winning layup in a 141–139 win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 16, Curry scored 37 points on 14-for-22 shooting, including 6-for-8 from beyond the arc in a 124–120 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 3,500 career three-pointers. On January 27, 2024, Curry scored 46 points, including a then-season-high nine three-pointers, in a 145–144 double–overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
On February 1, Curry was named to his tenth All-Star Game and his first as a reserve. On February 3, Curry scored a season-high 60 points on 22-of-38 shooting from the field with 10 three-pointers made in a 141–134 overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks. He joined Kobe Bryant as the only players in NBA history to put up at least 60 points at 35 years old or older. Curry also became the player with most games scoring 50+ points at 30 years or older in NBA history, with 8 games. On February 8, Curry scored 42 points on 15-of-22 shooting from the field, including a season-high 11-of-16 shooting from three, in a 131–109 win over the Indiana Pacers. On February 10, Curry put up 30 points and nine rebounds, alongside a game-winning three-pointer in a 113–112 win over the Phoenix Suns.
International career[]
Curry with Team USA in 2014.
Curry is a two-time gold medalist as a member of the United States men's national basketball team in both 2010 and 2014. He is also a silver medalist with the Under-19 USA team in 2007.
Curry participated at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which was his first time representing Team USA in the Olympics. He faced some criticism early on due to poor performances, including a group game against South Sudan where he only scored 3 points in 21 minutes. However, his contributions were ultimately crucial to Team USA's success, as he scored 36 points against Serbia in the quarter finals, helping Team USA edge out the victory whilst hitting a record of nine 3-pointers, the most in any game by a single player in the history of the tournament. He would follow this up with a 24 point performance against France in the finals, helping the USA win gold.
Player profile[]
Curry is a 6 foot 3 in (1.91 m) Point Guard who has established himself as one of the best shooters in NBA history and is considered by some to be the greatest shooter in NBA history and is only the sixth Point Guard to win the MVP Award. Curry plays almost exclusively at the Point Guard position combined with the signature play style of an elite Shooting Guard. He has career averages of 24.8 points, 6.4 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.5 steals per game (through the end of the 2023–24 season), and is the Warriors' all-time points, assists, steals, field goals, three-point field goals, and free-throw percentage leader in both the regular season and the playoffs. His career free throw percentage of 91.0% is the highest in NBA history, and he has led the league in annual free-throw percentage four times. He has been named league MVP twice, including the first unanimous selection in league history (2015–16). Regarded as a selfless leader and the face of the Warriors dynasty, the management built the franchise around Curry and drafted players, including former MVP Kevin Durant in 2017, to maximize its rosters' capabilities.
Lauded for his prolific three-point shooting, athleticism, and versatile playmaking, Curry is a potent offensive threat from underneath the rim to near half-court. Using an unorthodox jump shot, he is capable of releasing the ball in under half a second upon jumping, adding greater arc to his shots and making them difficult to block. Therefore, Curry is able to adjust his release and balance to make shots from virtually anywhere on the court. For his high shooting proficiency and ball-handling, he has been referred to as the "Baby-Faced Assassin" since his collegiate basketball years and "Chef Curry" while playing in the NBA. For their shooting abilities, Curry and teammate Klay Thompson are often referred to as the Splash Brothers. In the 2013–14 season, they set the record for combined three-pointers made in a season with 484, a record they broke the following season (525), and again in the 2015–16 season (678). Curry is also known for putting pressure on defenses with his long range and led the league in field goals made from beyond 28 feet in the 2015–16 season. A clutch scorer, he often shoots at his best in high-pressure moments and takes game-winning shots.
Curry is also a notably efficient scorer with a career true shooting percentage of 62.6%, ranking as the 5th most of all time. His career three-point field goal percentage of 42.5% ranks as the 12th most of all time, while attempting over nine three-pointers per game (the most in NBA history). He has a career effective field goal percentage of 58.2% and is the only player in league history to join the 50–40–90 club while averaging over 30 points per game. He also has the highest true shooting percentage (66.9%) and effective field goal percentage (63%) in a season (2015–16) in league history, while attempting over 20 field goals per game. He holds four of the top-five seasons with most three-pointers made, led by his NBA record 402 three-pointers from the 2015–16 season, and has served as the annual leader a record eight times. He is also the fastest player in league history to make 2,000 career three-pointers, doing so in 227 fewer games than the previous record-holder, Ray Allen. Additionally, Curry is the fastest player to make 100 three-pointers in a season, doing so in just 19 games, breaking his own previous record of 20 games.
Owing to his offensive presence, Curry's scoring creates a "gravity" effect, forcing opposing defenders to frequently double-team him during both on-ball and off-ball movement, which creates mismatches that his teammates exploit. With Curry, the Warriors average 10.8 isolations per game; without Curry, they average 15.3 isolations per game. His absence slows the Warriors offense and leads to less passing and ball movement. With Curry, the Warriors average 1.05 points every shot that comes after an off-ball screen; without Curry, it drops to 0.95 points per game. His absence makes it much easier for defenders to switch on screens. Of Curry's success with or without other elite teammates, NBC Sports' Tom Haberstroh said, "You can pluck All-Star after All-Star off the court like flower petals, and the Steph-led Warriors will still dominate like a champion. He's that transcendent of a player."
Curry's relatively smaller size impeded his defensive skills for the majority of his career. He generally leverages his fast-paced movement and reflexes to break defenses, while his long-standing teammates, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, provide more rigorous defensive contributions. Some analysts, including Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN, have complimented his defensive play or called it underrated. Strauss said in 2015 that Curry became "one of the NBA's most effective defenders – ranking fifth among point guards in defensive real plus-minus." Many have noted his ability to disrupt opposing plays with quick hands and instincts, resulting in turnovers for the opposing team. Curry led the league in total steals in the 2014–15 season and steals per game in the following season.
Curry faced criticism early on for his small, with many analysts believing that this would cause him to get bullied by heavier and bigger players on the court. Additionally, his size contributed to several ankle injuries which haunted his early career.
Legacy[]
Curry during the 2022 All-Star Game.
Curry is widely considered the greatest shooter and one of the greatest players in NBA history. He is credited with revolutionizing the game of basketball by inspiring teams, from high school to the NBA, to regularly use the three-point shot. Analysts have referred to him as "the Michael Jordan of the three-point era", saying that he did for the three-point shot what Jordan did for the slam dunk. The Guardian's Robert O'Connell cites Curry's February 27, 2013, game against the New York Knicks, in which he made 11 of 13 shots from behind the arc en route for a 54-point performance, as the start of the three-point era. The era has been referred to as "The Steph Effect" or "the NBA's Three-Point Revolution". Curry is also often compared to Magic Johnson in debates over the greatest Point Guard of all time, owing to their generational impact, winningness, and diverse skillsets.
Before Curry, shooting behind the three-point line was more of a novelty, an occasional way of scoring. Catch and shoot players existed, but Curry's success inspired the league to abandon physical play around the basket and to embrace a pace and space and three-point shooting style. The increase in three-point shooting is partly due to NBA teams incorporating it in their attempts to defeat the Warriors or copy the Warriors' style of play, and to young people wanting to imitate Curry's shooting range. Although this has led to players becoming good at or improving their three-point shot, it has also set unrealistic standards because Curry's range is unique. Curry regularly takes shots from between 30 and 35 feet. He shoots 54 percent from this range, while the NBA makes 35 percent of its threes overall and under 22 percent from between 30 and 35 feet. He can make the shots with elite ball handling, off the dribble, and often with an extremely quick release, from anywhere on the court and with one or more defenders on him. Curry said that he is sure coaches tell their high school players that shooting the way he does takes work and time. Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post stated that "coaches have to explain that while Curry's skill set is something to aspire to, his game is built on fundamentals" and that "while the Warriors have become the NBA's gold standard and make all those social-media-bound plays, the root of their success is ball movement."
Kirk Goldsberry of ESPN opined that "one of the keys to [Curry's] greatness is his range" and that "Curry isn't just the best 3-point shooter ever, he's the best deep 3-point shooter ever." Sally Jenkins of The Washington Post stated that he "moves around behind the three-point line in an ever-widening arc, sinking long distance shots so cleanly that the net seems to snap like fresh laundry in a breeze" and that a highlight is the "sheer preposterousness of his shots, and the rate at which he is sinking the most far-fetched of them." She said that "in one stretch he hit a mind-expanding 67 percent between 28 and 50 feet." Warriors Coach Steve Kerr stated that Curry's hand-eye coordination "is as great as anyone I've ever seen." Jeff Austin of Octagon concluded that Curry "had to develop tremendous strength in his wrists to shoot and maintain that form from 40 and 50 feet." Goldsberry stated that "no player in the history of the NBA has combined range, volume and efficiency from downtown as well as Curry" and that "Curry's jumper is so lethal that he has become the most efficient volume scorer on the planet." His range and efficiency drove the developers of the NBA 2K video game series, in which Curry is featured, to worry that his abilities could not be replicated on screen.
Where Curry ranks as one of the greatest NBA players has been more subject to debate. Former NBA player Steve Nash, who is also among the NBA's all-time efficient shooters, said Curry is "already an all-time great" and that people question his greatness "because he doesn't dominate the game physically. He dances. He pays a tax for that. He pays a tax for his great teammates." Scottie Pippen, who won six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, said that Curry's "willingness to sacrifice" for Kevin Durant is "one of the great stories in history" because Curry welcomed Durant, who is also a top player, to the Warriors without ego. Crediting Curry with being "one of the greatest guards the game has ever seen", he said: "If you have a mind for the game, you know that it takes sacrifice to be great. All the greats have to sacrifice something. Otherwise you can't win." In 2018, CBS Sports ranked Curry at No. 19 in their list of "50 greatest NBA players of all time". Sports Illustrated ranked him at No. 3, behind Durant and LeBron James, on their "Top 100 NBA Players of 2019" list. Sports Illustrated stated that "Curry and the Warriors are a great match of player and system" and that "the entire ecosystem is predicated on the idea that a player doesn't need to dominate the ball to dominate a game. Curry took that noble idea and elevated it beyond any reasonable expectation."
In 2020, an ESPN feature ranked Curry as the 13th greatest basketball player of all time, the second-highest active player on the list. Nick Friedell of ESPN stated, "The greatest shooter of all time. Curry's ability to hit shots from all over the floor changed the way the game is played ... Curry's influence on the game is seen on every level of basketball as younger generations shoot more than ever while trying to replicate his game." In a similar list in 2022,The Athletic ranked Curry as the 15th greatest player in NBA history. Marcus Thompson II stated, "In 20 years, Curry will be talked about with excitement reserved for the most legendary. Like the elders of today talk about Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell, and how their children revere Larry Bird and Charles Barkley." In October 2021, Curry was honored as one of the league's greatest players of all time by being named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. In 2023, Complex ranked Curry as the 10th greatest player in NBA history. Angel Diaz cited his generational influence with "nothing left (for Curry) to accomplish" as reasons for his place among the sport's greats.
Curry is also considered the greatest Davidson Wildcats men's basketball player of all time, setting collegiate and Southern Conference records and becoming the first Davidson athlete to have a jersey number retired.
Off the court[]
Personal life[]
On July 30, 2011, Curry married longtime girlfriend and Toronto-area native Ayesha Alexander in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have two daughters, Riley (born July 19, 2012) and Ryan Carson (born July 10, 2015) and a son who was born in 2018. In March 2024, the couple revealed that they are expecting their fourth child. They live in Orinda, California.
In July 2019, Curry paid $31 million for a home in Atherton, California. Curry's younger brother, Seth, is also a professional basketball player, and his younger sister, Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University.
Curry is a Pentecostal Christian and has been outspoken about his faith. He spoke about his faith during his MVP speech by saying: "People should know who I represent and why I am who I am, and that's because of my Lord and Savior." He also said the reason that he pounds his chest and points up is that he has a "heart for God" and as a reminder that he plays for God. On some of his "Curry One" basketball shoes, there is a lace loop scripted "4:13". It is a reference to the Bible verse Philippians 4:13, which reads: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Curry has a tattoo of First Corinthians 13:8 in Hebrew on his wrist ("Love never fails..."). Curry is also an investor in Active Faith, a Christian sports apparel brand
Curry wears the same number (#30) his dad wore while he was in the NBA.
During the 1992 All-Star Weekend, his father entrusted him to Biserka Petrović, mother of future Hall of Fame player Dražen Petrović, while Dell competed in the Three-Point Shootout. Following the 2015 NBA Finals, Curry gave Biserka one of his Finals-worn jerseys, which will reportedly be added to the collection of the Dražen Petrović Memorial Center, a museum to the late player in the Croatian capital of Zagreb.
Curry is diagnosed with keratoconus and wears contact lenses to correct his vision. He is an avid golfer; he played golf in high school, and frequently plays golf with former teammate Andre Iguodala. A 5-handicap golfer, Curry participates in celebrity golf tournaments and has played golf alongside Barack Obama. In August 2017, Curry competed in the Ellie Mae Classic on an unrestricted sponsor exemption. Although he missed the first cut, he scored 4-over-74 for both days he participated, surpassing most expectations for an amateur competing in the pro event. In July, 2023, Curry won the American Century Championship, an annual celebrity golf tournament held at the Edgewood Tahoe Resort in Stateline, Nevada. He shot a hole-in-one during the second round and won the tournament on the final hole with a walk-off eagle putt.
In August 2019, Curry and Howard University, a historically black institution in Washington, D.C., jointly announced that the school would add NCAA Division I teams in men's and women's golf starting in the 2020–21 school year, with Curry guaranteeing full funding of both teams for six years. Curry is also a fan of British soccer club Chelsea F.C.
Public image[]
Curry is one of the most successful players in the NBA, and he has also become an international celebrity, on par with four-time MVP LeBron James. Like James, he has been considered the face of the NBA, but has said that he is not motivated by that and is not looking "to take LeBron's throne or whatever. You know, I'm trying to chase rings, and that's all I'm about. So that's where the conversation stops for me." His flashy play and penchant for coming up big in the clutch have made him a fan favorite, and his smaller physique is said to have made his success seem more attainable for younger fans of the NBA. Curry's jersey was the top seller in the NBA for the 2015–16 and 2016–17 NBA seasons.
ESPN has ranked Curry among the most famous international athletes, while Forbes has ranked him among the world's highest-paid celebrities for his endorsements. ESPN's Kirk Goldsberry reasoned that one reason for Curry's popularity is that while most people are not tall enough to dunk, everyone can attempt a shot, which is something Curry inspires. Owen Davis of Sky Sports echoed this sentiment, stating, "After all, not everyone is blessed with supreme height and athleticism, but everyone can learn to pass, dribble and shoot. Curry is proof that if you work hard enough, you can still find ways to dominate, no matter your size."
Monte Poole of NBC Sports found Curry to be "the most human of superstars," with a childlike aura to him when he plays with success. His fanbase ranges from very young children to the elderly, and casual or committed fans enjoy his style of play. Poole stated that "the joy factor exponentially increases" when Curry is on the court and that "the sight of this relatively ordinary specimen sending much bigger players into silent surrender is an intoxicant for the Warriors and their fans."
Business interests[]
Curry speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019.
Curry is widely known for his partnership with Under Armour, where he is considered to be the "face of their footwear line." Originally signed to Nike, Curry joined with Under Armour in the 2013 offseason. As Curry became MVP and one of the most popular athletes in the world, sales of his shoes have become a major factor for the brand, with stock prices rising and falling based on the success of the Curry shoe line.
In September 2017, it was announced that Curry had signed an exclusive autograph contract with Steiner Sports Memorabilia. The full product line will include hand-signed official basketballs and jerseys, autographed photographs of epic moments, flashy framed signs and wall-art, game-used memorabilia, and limited-edition pieces.
In October 2018, Curry announced his involvement with the relaunch of Palm, a mobile companion device that pairs with a primary smartphone. Curry is an investor and the leading brand ambassador for Palm, a small startup based in San Francisco which licenses the Palm name from TCL Corporation. He is also involved with designing and testing accessories and even helped to name the device.
In October 2019, Curry invested in Snaptravel by Super.com (previously Snapcommerce), a technology company that began providing people the platform to search for travel and hotel tickets.
In 2021, Curry, among other high-profile athletes and celebrities, was a paid spokesperson for FTX, a cryptocurrency exchange. In November 2022, FTX filed for bankruptcy, erasing billions of dollars in customer funds, with Curry, alongside other spokespeople, being sued for promoting unregistered securities through a class-action lawsuit. In February 2022, the U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in a lawsuit against Bitconnect that the Securities Act of 1933 extends to targeted solicitation using social media.
Since 2018, Curry has served as the chief executive officer of Thirty Ink, a San Francisco-based company that works to provide equitable opportunities to people through brand, media, experiences, and philanthropy, as the four major verticals. Since 2019, Curry has been the Global Brand Ambassador for Rakuten. The company partnered with Curry on a one-day shopping spree at the Warriors Shop in Chase Center for 20 Bay Area children. Curry posed as a team shop employee during the event and helped find sports gear around the store
Charity[]
Former President Barack Obama with Curry during a visit to the White House in 2015 to launch the president's initiative on malaria.
In 2012, Curry started donating three insecticide-treated mosquito nets for every three-pointer he made to the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets campaign to combat malaria. He was first introduced to the malaria cause by Davidson teammate Bryant Barr when they were both in school. Curry visited the White House in 2015 and delivered a five-minute speech to dignitaries as part of President Barack Obama's launch of his President's Malaria Initiative strategy for 2015–2020.
In 2015, Curry wore sneakers that had Deah Shaddy Barakat's name on them (one of the victims of the 2015 Chapel Hill shooting). According to his sister Suzanne, Deah Barakat was known for his "love for basketball and anything Steph Curry." Deah's number for his intramural basketball team at North Carolina State University was Curry's No. 30, and he posed for a photo that was similar to one that Curry did for GQ. Curry said that Barakat's family "did a great job of reaching out to me and making me aware of the details of his life and personality [...] It was really kind of a cool deal to be able to use the platform yesterday to honor Deah and his family [...] I'm going to send them the shoes I wore yesterday. And hopefully, they know that I've been thinking about them." Also in 2015, after winning the MVP Award following his impressive historic season, Curry donated his prize vehicle—a 2016 Kia Sorento—to the East Oakland Youth Development Center, a local non-profit organization located in the backyard of Oracle Arena.
In December 2018, while on a podcast, Curry questioned whether the Apollo Moon landing actually happened, which received substantial media attention and criticism. NASA offered Curry a tour of the Johnson Space Center and to discuss the matter with him. Curry later said that he was joking about the Moon landing not having happened. He had Under Armour create some shoes inspired by the comment and subsequent discussion. After wearing them to a game, he signed and auctioned them off. The shoes sold for $58,100 on eBay after 113 bids, and the money was donated for STEM education initiatives.
In July 2019, Curry and his wife launched the "Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation" in Oakland, California. The foundation works to end childhood hunger, increase access to quality education, and provide safe spaces for children to stay active.
Production company[]
In April 2018, Sony Pictures Entertainment announced a wide-ranging, multiyear multimedia deal with Curry's newly formed production company Unanimous Media (named for Curry becoming the first NBA player in history to be elected Most Valuable Player by a unanimous vote), located on the Sony Pictures studio lot in Culver City. The film and TV deal included electronics, gaming and virtual reality and will focus on faith and family-friendly content. In October 2018, Curry signed on as executive producer of the film Breakthrough, scheduled for release in April 2019. Curry was also executive producer of the film Emanuel, scheduled for US theatrical release in select theaters on June 17, 2019. The film focuses on the responses of family members of victims of the 2015 Charleston church shooting - "In the face of adversity, in the face of tragedy, how can I get through it?" Curry said.
Beginning in 2019, Curry is both an executive producer and resident golf pro on the American sports reality competition television series Holey Moley. On June 24, 2020, Curry released a trailer for his new show on his YouTube channel, which is called Ultimate Home Championships, a show featuring people such as DeAndre Jordan, Ronda Rousey, and Kristopher London where contestants compete in wacky at-home challenges using things at their home. In 2020, the company signed a deal with Amazon's Audible. The same year, Curry served as the executive produce of an animated revival of the 1970s sitcom Good Times with its original executive producer, Norman Lear, and Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. The animated series was greenlit by Netflix in 2020. In 2021, Curry signed on as executive producer of The Queen of Basketball, a documentary short film about basketball legend Lusia Harris. The same year, Unanimous Media signed a deal with NBCUniversal.
In 2023, Unanimous Media and Ryan Coogler co-produced Stephen Curry: Underrated, a sports documentary film chronicling Curry's path to NBA stardom. Apple TV+ secured the streaming rights and a release date of July 21, 2023.
Political views[]
Curry and his wife endorsed Joe Biden for President of the United States during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August 2020.
In December 2021, Curry voiced his support for the For the People Act, an election reform bill aimed at expanding voting rights.
In 2023, Curry opposed the development of multi-family housing in the wealthy enclave of Atherton, California where he and his family live. In a letter in which Curry and his wife opposed affordable housing in his own neighborhood, they wrote, "We hesitate to add to the 'not in our backyard' (literally) rhetoric, but ... safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home."
NBA career statistics[]
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship | * | Led the league | ‡ | NBA record |
NBA[]
Regular season[]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Golden State | 80 | 77 | 36.2 | .462 | .437 | .885 | 4.5 | 5.9 | 1.9 | .2 | 17.5 |
| 2010–11 | Golden State | 74 | 74 | 33.6 | .480 | .442 | .934* | 3.9 | 5.8 | 1.5 | .3 | 18.6 |
| 2011–12 | Golden State | 26 | 23 | 28.2 | .490 | .455 | .809 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 1.5 | .3 | 14.7 |
| 2012–13 | Golden State | 78 | 78 | 38.2 | .451 | .453 | .900 | 4.0 | 6.9 | 1.6 | .2 | 22.9 |
| 2013–14 | Golden State | 78 | 78 | 36.5 | .471 | .424 | .885 | 4.3 | 8.5 | 1.6 | .2 | 24.0 |
| 2014–15† | Golden State | 80 | 80 | 32.7 | .487 | .443 | .914* | 4.3 | 7.7 | 2.0 | .2 | 23.8 |
| 2015–16 | Golden State | 79 | 79 | 34.2 | .504 | .454 | .908* | 5.4 | 6.7 | 2.1* | .2 | 30.1* |
| 2016–17† | Golden State | 79 | 79 | 33.4 | .468 | .411 | .898 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 1.8 | .2 | 25.3 |
| 2017–18† | Golden State | 51 | 51 | 32.0 | .495 | .423 | .921* | 5.1 | 6.1 | 1.6 | .2 | 26.4 |
| 2018–19 | Golden State | 69 | 69 | 33.8 | .472 | .437 | .916 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 1.3 | .4 | 27.3 |
| 2019–20 | Golden State | 5 | 5 | 27.8 | .402 | .245 | 1.000 | 5.2 | 6.6 | 1.0 | .4 | 20.8 |
| 2020–21 | Golden State | 63 | 63 | 34.2 | .482 | .421 | .916 | 5.5 | 5.8 | 1.2 | .1 | 32.0* |
| 2021–22† | Golden State | 64 | 64 | 34.5 | .437 | .380 | .923 | 5.2 | 6.3 | 1.3 | .4 | 25.5 |
| 2022–23 | Golden State | 56 | 56 | 34.7 | .493 | .427 | .915 | 6.1 | 6.3 | .9 | .4 | 29.4 |
| 2023–24 | Golden State | 74 | 74 | 32.7 | .450 | .408 | .923 | 4.5 | 5.1 | .7 | .4 | 26.4 |
| Career | 956 | 950 | 34.2 | .473 | .426 | .910‡ | 4.7 | 6.4 | 1.5 | .2 | 24.8 | |
| All–Star | 10 | 9 | 27.9 | .425 | .395 | 1.000 | 5.6 | 6.0 | 1.2 | .3 | 21.8 | |
Playoffs[]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Golden State | 12 | 12 | 41.4 | .434 | .396 | .921 | 3.8 | 8.1 | 1.7 | .2 | 23.4 |
| 2014 | Golden State | 7 | 7 | 42.3 | .440 | .386 | .881 | 3.6 | 8.4 | 1.7 | .1 | 23.0 |
| 2015† | Golden State | 21 | 21 | 39.3 | .456 | .422 | .835 | 5.0 | 6.4 | 1.9 | .1 | 28.3 |
| 2016 | Golden State | 18 | 17 | 34.3 | .438 | .404 | .916 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 1.4 | .3 | 25.1 |
| 2017† | Golden State | 17 | 17 | 35.3 | .484 | .419 | .904 | 6.2 | 6.7 | 2.0 | .2 | 28.1 |
| 2018† | Golden State | 15 | 14 | 37.0 | .451 | .395 | .957 | 6.1 | 5.4 | 1.7 | .7 | 25.5 |
| 2019 | Golden State | 22 | 22 | 38.5 | .441 | .377 | .943 | 6.0 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .2 | 28.2 |
| 2022† | Golden State | 22 | 18 | 34.7 | .459 | .397 | .829 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 1.3 | .4 | 27.4 |
| 2023 | Golden State | 13 | 13 | 37.9 | .466 | .363 | .845 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 1.0 | .5 | 30.5 |
| Career | 147 | 141 | 37.4 | .453 | .397 | .889 | 5.3 | 6.2 | 1.5 | .3 | 27.0 | |
College[]
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Davidson | 34 | 33 | 30.9 | .463 | .408 | .855 | 4.6 | 2.8 | 1.8 | .2 | 21.5 |
| 2007–08 | Davidson | 36 | 36 | 33.1 | .483 | .439 | .894 | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.0 | .4 | 25.9 |
| 2008–09 | Davidson | 34 | 34 | 33.7 | .454 | .387 | .876 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 2.5 | .2 | 28.6* |
| Career | 104 | 103 | 32.6 | .467 | .412 | .876 | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.1 | .3 | 25.3 | |
NBA career highlights[]
NBA[]
.jpg){kind=link}
Curry during his first MVP season in 2014–15.
- 4x NBA champion: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022
- NBA Finals MVP (2022)
- 2x NBA Most Valuable Player: 2015, 2016
- The only unanimous MVP selection in league history (2016)
- 10× NBA All-Star: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- NBA All-Star MVP: 2022
- 9× All-NBA selection:
- NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2010
- NBA Clutch Player of the Year (2024)
- 2× NBA scoring leader: 2016, 2021
- 2× NBA Three-Point Contest champion: 2015, 2021
- NBA steals leader: 2016
- 8× NBA three-point scoring leader: 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2022, 2024
- 4× NBA free-throw percentage leader: 2011, 2015, 2016, 2018
- 50–40–90 club: 2016
- The only player in league history to achieve this feat while averaging over 30 PPG
- NBA vs. WNBA Three-Point Challenge champion: 2024
- NBA Skills Challenge champion 2011
- NBA Social Justice Champion Award: 2023
- J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award: 2023
- NBA Community Assist Award: 2014
- NBA Sportsmanship Award: 2011
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team: 2021
- April 2013 NBA Western Conference Player of the Month
- April 2014 NBA Western Conference Player of the Month
- November 2014 NBA Western Conference Player of the Month
- NBA regular season record for made three-pointers
- Warriors franchise leader in three-point field goals made
- Warriors franchise record for most three-pointers made in a game
NCAA[]
- NCAA Division I scoring leader: 2009
- 2× SoCon Player of the Year: 2008, 2009
- 2× SoCon Male Athlete of the Year: 2008, 2009
- Consensus first-team All-American: 2009
- Consensus second-team All-American: 2008
- 3× First-team All-SoCon: 2007, 2008, 2009
- SoCon Freshman of the Year: 2007
- SoCon All-Freshmen Team: 2007
- No. 30 retired by the Davidson Wildcats
United States National Team[]
- FIBA World Cup gold medalist: 2010, 2014
- FIBA U19 World Championship silver medalist: 2007
Golf[]
- American Century Championship: 2023
- PGA Tour Ambassador of Golf Award: 2023
- World Golf Hall of Fame Charlie Sifford Award: 2024
Halls of Fame=[]
- Southern Conference Hall of Fame – Class of 2016
- Davidson Athletics Hall of Fame – Class of 2022
Media[]
- AP Male Athlete of the Year: 2015
- Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year (2): 2018 (as a team), 2022
- Sports Illustrated NBA All-Decade First Team: 2010s
- Sports Illustrated 50 Most Influential Figures in Sports: 2023
- Time 100 Most Influential People: 2016
- Forbes list of the world's top-10 highest-paid athletes (6): 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023
- Laureus World Sportsman of the Year nominee (3): 2016, 2017, 2023
- BET Award for Sportsman of the Year (5): 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022
- Jackie Robinson Sports Award: 2021
- Hickok Belt: 2015
- Shorty Award for Best in Sports: 2015
- Teen Choice Award for Choice Male Athlete (3): 2015, 2016, 2017
- Jefferson Award for Public Service: 2011
- Eight-time ESPY Award winner:
- Best Male Athlete: 2015
- Best NBA Player (3): 2015, 2021, 2022
- Best Record-Breaking Performance (2): 2016, 2022
- Best Team (2): 2017, 2022
Academy Awards[]
- Best Documentary Short Film (as executive producer of The Queen of Basketball): 2022
State/Local[]
- Section of Davidson College's John M. Belk Arena renamed "Section 30" – 2017
- No. 20 retired by Charlotte Christian School – 2017
- Nine-story commemorative mural along Oakland YMCA at 2350 Broadway, Uptown Oakland – 2022
- Key to the City of Charlotte – 2022
See also[]
- List of NBA season leaders in three-point field goals
- List of National Basketball Association career 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association career playoff 3-point scoring leaders
- List of National Basketball Association season free throw percentage leaders
- NBA Most Valuable Player Award
- 2009 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
- List of NCAA Division I men's basketball season scoring leaders
References[]