How Steph Curry Became the Most Unique Superstar in NBA History

The Golden State Warriors point guard is much more than an on-court assassin.

Steph Curry is unlike most basketball players.

One of the greatest shooters of all time, the Golden State Warriors point guard can score from anywhere on the court. He is a four-time NBA champion, two-time MVP and NBA Finals MVP.

But as great a player as he is, Curry might be an even better person. This is how the Warriors’ leader became one of the most unique NBA superstars.

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The ‘A’ for Ayesha

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, right, and his wife, Ayesha, wave at fans during the 2017 parade in Oakland, California, to celebrate the team’s NBA championship. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

Stephen and Ayesha Curry got married in 2011, and their love is straight out of a fairy tale.

The two Charlotte natives met in church, and he was shy at first. According to Curry on his wife’s YouTube “Husband Tag” video, he sent her a Facebook message asking her to hang out. They went on their first date in Hollywood and had chai tea. Later, he bought some Oakley sunglasses that were way out of his price range to impress his then-girlfriend.

The couple dated throughout Curry’s time in college at Davidson and tied the knot on July 30, 2011.

Now, Curry’s wife is his biggest supporter. He returns the favor by supporting Ayesha, who is a chef and has opened her own restaurant, International Smoke, in San Francisco.

In fact, Curry loves his wife so much he tattooed a cursive “A” on his left ring finger because he can’t wear his ring when he plays.

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Only One Division I Offer

Stephen Curry after leading Davidson to a win over Georgetown in a 2008 second-round NCAA tournament game in Raleigh, North Carolina. Chuck Burton / AP Photo

Steph Curry has been doubted on the basketball court his whole life. After earning all-state honors at Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina, not only did he not receive scholarship offers from any of the elite Division I schools in his own state, he didn’t even receive a scholarship offer from Virginia Tech, where his father and former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry played in college.

Instead, the shooter with a slight frame and cherubic face went on to play for the Davidson Wildcats, a small mid-major school in Charlotte, where coach Bob McKillop had actively recruited him since the 10th grade. He became a household name for the whole nation when he led Davidson to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA tournament.

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Just Don’t Do It

Steph Curry with kids at a basketball camp

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, center, greets basketball camp participants in Walnut Creek, California, in August 2018. Jeff Chiu / AP Photo

It pays to say someone’s name right. That’s why Steph Curry chose to leave Nike for Under Armour in 2013.

“The pitch meeting, according to Steph’s father, Dell, who was present, kicked off with one Nike official accidentally addressing Stephen as ‘Steph-on,’ ” writes Ethan Strauss in an ESPN article. None of the other Nike officials corrected the mispronunciation of Curry’s first name, which is pronounced “Steff-en.” To make matters worse, the elite sports apparel brand had a presentation with Kevin Durant’s name on it.

In March 2016, Curry’s reported worth to Under Armour was $14 billion in sales and he signed a lifetime contract with the company in 2023 that could end up paying him in excess of what he’s made playing in the NBA, which will be at approximately $470 million when his current contract runs out at the end of the 2025-26 season.

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MC Smooth Curry

Steph Curry displays his rapping skills at Davidson. TheDavidsonShow / YouTube

Step Curry loves to have fun on and off the court. His off-the-court humor shined in a 2009 music video he made at Davidson just before he went to the NBA.

The 5-minute video called “I Love Commons” featured Curry, some of his Davidson classmates and other students waxing poetic about college life over Asher Roth’s hit song “I Love College” and garnered over 1 million views on YouTube.

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Heart of a Champion

Steph Curry during a 2013 trip to Tanzania with the “Nothing But Nets” campaign. Nothing But Nets

Curry goes beyond his athlete status to help people in need.

Ever since his playing days at Davidson, he has been an advocate for the fight against malaria. In 2013, for every three-point shot he made, Curry began donating three bed nets to families in Tanzania as part of the Nothing But Nets campaign.

In 2017, Curry unveiled a partnership with Under Armour. For every pair of Curry 4 low shoes sold, he donated a bed net.

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A Different Kind of Shoe Commercial

Steph Curry in an Under Armour commercial

Steph Curry in Under Armour’s “Make That Old” commercial. MMProductions / YouTube

Not everything always goes according to plan.

After the Warriors lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 NBA Finals in seven games — the first time a team blew a 3-1 lead in the Finals and a devastating loss for a team that had won the most games in the regular season (73) in NBA history — Steph Curry and the Warriors had to regroup.

Under Armour planned to release a shoe commercial about how Curry won his second NBA title, but instead, they had to tweak the message to show his resilience. In the commercial, a boy says, “73-9 and no ring?” Another boy replies, “Our man mad now.”

When the Warriors won the championship in 2017, at the parade, Curry sported a T-shirt and hat that read “Made That Old” in gold lettering, meaning “made that old news.”

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Born to Break Records

Steph Curry shooting a three-pointer against the Memphis Grizzlies

Golden State Warriors point guard Steph Curry shoots a three-pointer against the Memphis Grizzlies on April 13, 2016. Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP Photo

Curry is the greatest three-point marksman in the history of the game, and he wants to make sure his name remains atop the record book.

He first set the single-season record for most three-pointers made in the 2014-15 campaign with 286.

The next year, he took it up a level. Heading into the last game of the 2016 season at home against the Memphis Grizzlies, Steph Curry had made 392 threes and needed just eight more to reach 400 — a ridiculous number for any player at any level. Curry started off hot, hitting several threes in the opening quarter. He didn’t cool off, and in the third quarter, he hit his 400th three of the season. Curry made two more treys to finish the season with 402, while the Warriors captured their record-breaking 73rd win of the season.

In the 2016-17 season, Curry made 324 three-pointers. On Dec. 24, 2021, Curry set the NBA career record for three-pointers, breaking Ray Allen’s record.

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Stay Golden

Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry, center, with young fans at the team headquarters in Oakland after being drafted in 2009. Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

The Warriors weren’t always the class of the NBA. They used to be bottom feeders, and in the 2009 draft, they had the seventh pick and took Curry as their franchise cornerstone.

But the story could have gone another way. Curry’s agent, Jeff Austin, and dad, Dell, did not want the Warriors to take Steph because they thought he would be a better fit in New York with the Knicks, who had the eighth pick. The Knicks took Jordan Hill instead.

The Warriors also had talks with the Phoenix Suns on draft night of trading Curry for big man Amar’e Stoudemire. Then-Suns general manager Steve Kerr, the current Warriors head coach, envisioned Curry playing alongside Steve Nash and becoming the heir apparent to the Hall of Fame point guard.

Good thing Golden State didn’t pull the trigger on any Curry moves. They kept him and have built the greatest NBA dynasty since the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan in the 1990s.

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‘Working On Excellence’

Steph Curry celebrating on court during a Golden State Warriors game

Steph Curry has created a lot of fantastic moments with the Warriors in his NBA career. Jeff Chiu / AP Photo

Curry always strives to be the best player he can be. It’s no wonder he got a tattoo that signifies his work ethic.

The meaning of Curry’s tattoo that says “WOE” on his right bicep is “Working On Excellence.”

He’s living up to those words, as his career has e been nothing short of excellent — capturing NBA titles, MVP awards and records, putting his name alongside the greatest NBA players of all time.

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The (Burger) King and I

Steph Curry in a Burger King commercial as a kid

Steph Curry appeared in a vintage Burger King commercial as a kid. ivan riobla / YouTube

Stephen Curry is the son of former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry.

When Steph was a kid, they appeared in a Burger King commercial together. He had on a shirt that seemed three sizes too big and asked his dad if he could make it to the NBA.

Many years later, Steph Curry achieved that dream and more. He has become one of the best players the game has seen with his quick shooting release and lethal ballhandling skills.

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Mother Knows Best

Steph Curry, right, and his mother, Sonya. NBA Daily / YouTube

Steph Curry, 35, has a brother (Seth, 33, plays in the NBA), sister (Sydel, 29, is a former Division I volleyball player at Elon) and close relationship with his mother, Sonya, who instilled a sense of discipline in her children.

“We only work as a family if everybody does their part,” Sonya once said during an appearance on the “Today” show. “It’s not my job to do everything for everybody. … If one thing didn’t work at home, it then affected all the other things outside the home.”

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Thank You, Dad

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, right, with his father, Dell Curry, before a 2010 game against the New Orleans Hornets in Oakland. Ben Margot / AP Photo

Curry’s game reached a new level in 2015 — averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game on 49 percent shooting from the field, including 44 percent from beyond the arc — as he led the Warriors to a 67-15 record and secured the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

For his efforts, Curry was named the NBA’s regular-season MVP.

During his MVP speech, he got emotional talking about how much his father played a role in shaping him as the player and man he is today. It was Dell Curry who helped Stephen fine-tune his jump shot into a deadly shooting stroke. He was the example for his son on and off the court.

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‘I Can Do All Things’

Steph Curry playing a game with the Golden Warriors

Steph Curry is building his GOAT case. Tony Dejak / AP Photo

Many players write inscriptions on their sneakers. Curry is no different.

A devout Christian, he puts Bible scripture on his shoes. He started doing this in college.

Curry has written part of the Philippians 4:13 verse, “I can do all things,” to remind himself that he plays this game for a higher power.

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Fourth NBA Title, First NBA Finals MVP

Steph Curry with Golden State Warriors teammates after winning the 2022 NBA championship.

Steph Curry and his Golden State Warriors teammates celebrate after winning the 2022 NBA championship, the team’s fourth title since 2015. Steven Senne / AP Photo

Curry’s dominance has continued into his mid-30s. The Warriors shocked the NBA in 2022 by winning an unexpected fourth championship, defeating the Boston Celtics in six games.

Curry also won his first NBA Finals MVP in 2022. With the Warriors trailing the series 2-1, Curry turned in one of the greatest performances in NBA history with 43 points and 10 rebounds at TD Garden in Boston to even the series at two games apiece.

He finished the series averaging 31.6 points per game, 6.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

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Making NBA History in 2023

What’s next for the NBA’s most interesting man? Stay tuned. José Luis Villegas / AP Photo

Curry set the NBA playoff record for most points in a Game 7 in NBA history when he lit up the Sacramento Kings for 50 points in a 120-110 Warriors win in their first-round playoff series in 2023.

Kevin Durant had the record with 48 points, and the 35-year-old Curry also tied Karl Malone’s record for most points in a playoff game at age 35 or older.

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