The Remarkable Story of Wardell Stephen Curry Junior

As of July 13, 2017, the Golden State Warriors’ starting Point Guard, Stephen Curry, is widely-renowned as quite possibly the greatest shooter that the NBA has ever seen. However, perhaps even more impressive than Curry’s wide range of accomplishments is the plethora of hardships that he has had to overcome in order to become the star player that he is today.

Wardell Stephen Curry Junior was born in Akron, Ohio – ironically, in the same hospital as fellow NBA star, LeBron James. Steph’s father, Dell Curry, was a great NBA talent in his own right, playing for the Utah Jazz, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and (at the time) Cleveland Cavaliers. Simply put, growing up in the shadow of his father’s career could not have been easy for Steph.

Upon his high school graduation from Charlotte Christian School in North Carolina, the college outlook was looking rather bleak for young Mr. Curry. At 6’2, 163-pounds, many recruiters were certain that Steph simply did not possess the necessary physical attributes to become a star player at the college level. With limited options on the table, Curry ultimately chose to attend Davidson College (a school in North Carolina that had been actively recruiting him since his sophomore year).

Needless to say, Curry’s college play for the Davidson Wildcats was something to behold. In his freshman year, Curry eclipsed the school freshman scoring record, and led his team to the NCAA Tournament. In his sophomore year, Curry led the Wildcats to their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1969, and miraculously propelled this relatively unknown school from the “Round of 64” teams to the “Elite 8”. In his junior year, though the Wildcats failed to earn an NCAA Tournament bid, Curry impressed once more, averaging 28.6 points per game (a quite remarkable feat in the realm of college basketball).

Stephen Curry was then selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. Though met with a bit of uncertainty, in retrospect, drafting Curry was the beginning piece in shifting this franchise from a state of disarray to a state of dominance. Curry finished second in Rookie of the Year voting in the 2009-2010 season, and though he suffered a pair of injury-riddled seasons over the next two years (causing die-hard Warrior fans a great deal of unnecessary grief), returned stronger than ever in 2012-2013.

During that season, Curry led the Warriors to the #6 seed in the Western Conference, dropped a 54-point game in New York City, and greatly assisted Golden State in up-ending a formidable Denver Nuggets squad in the first round of the playoffs. The 2013-2014 season brought much of the same success for Mark Jackson’s newfound Warriors, though this time, their #6 seeding wasn't enough to power them into the second round.

In the ensuing months, however, everything changed for Golden State. Some attributed this drastic improvement to the recent signing of head coach Steve Kerr, whilst others attributed it to a young group of core players finally reaching their full potential. However, in 2014-2015, the Golden State Warriors finished with a record of 67-15, disposing of the Pelicans, Grizzlies, Rockets, and Cavaliers throughout the course of the postseason to win their first NBA Title in four decades. At the conclusion of the season, Stephen Curry was awarded the NBA MVP Trophy, a fitting reward for the perseverance of this small guard who was “never going to make it”.

In 2015-2016, the Warriors continued to make history, and Curry remained firmly at the forefront of all of Golden State’s successes. The team finished their season with the best record in NBA history (73-9), with Steph becoming the first “unanimous MVP” in the league's seventy years of existence. Additionally, Curry rained in 402 three-pointers over the course of the season, breaking the record which he had previously set by a staggering 116. Although Stephen Curry’s Warriors were ultimately unable to finish the job (losing grip on an infamous 3-1 series lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals), their off-season addition of All-Star talent Kevin Durant led Golden State back to the Promised Land in 2016-2017 (as the polarizing "Dubs" clinched their second NBA Title in three seasons).

In addition to being a phenomenal athlete, however, Curry’s off-the-court presence is also something to be commended, as he is a very humble, family-oriented man. In July 2011, Curry married his longtime girlfriend Ayesha Alexander. Together, the couple have two daughters: Riley (born in 2012), and Ryan (born in 2015).  

Despite his status as a two-time NBA MVP, Curry spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career earning less annual salary than eighty-one other NBA players. In response to questioning about his contract status, Curry said, "One thing my pops always told me is you never count another man’s money. It’s what you’ve got and how you take care of it. And if I’m complaining about $44 million over four years, then I’ve got other issues in my life." If only all of our nation's star athletes possessed such an innate ability to keep everything in perspective. On July 1, 2017, Curry and the Warriors agreed to a 4-year, $201 million contract extension. In this sense, it is fair to suggest that Steph's patience certainly paid off!

Retrospectively, Curry’s perseverance in overcoming all hardships, his undeniable résumé and skill-set, as well as his enviable positive outlook on life, are all qualities that make him deserving of unwavering praise. With two NBA Titles to his name (and likely more to come), Wardell Stephen Curry undoubtedly has the potential to leave basketball as one of the most extraordinary players in league history.