STEPHEN CURRY’S BIOGRAPHY

Stephen Curry, a Professional basketball player of the Golden State Warriors was the first person to be named Most Valuable Player by a unanimous vote in NBA history.

Stephen Curry, in full Wardell Stephen Curry II, byname Steph, (born March 14, 1988, Akron, Ohio, U.S.), American professional basketball player who led the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to championships in 2014–15, 2016–17, 2017–18, and 2021–22 and to the best regular-season record in league history (73–9) in 2015–16. Widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, and as the greatest shooter in NBA history, Curry is credited with revolutionizing the sport by inspiring teams and players to more frequently utilize the three-point shot. An eight-time NBA All-Star and eight-time All-NBA selection, including four times on the first team, he has been named the NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) twice, has won four NBA championships, an NBA Finals MVP Award, and an NBA All-Star Game MVP Award.

Curry is the son of  Dell Curry and the older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry. He played college basketball for the Davidson Wildcats, where he set the all-time scoring record for Davidson and the Southern Conference, was twice named conference player of the year, and set the single-season NCAA record during his sophomore year for most three-pointers made. Curry was selected by the Warriors with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

In 2014 –15, Curry won his first league MVP award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and 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 en route to reaching the 2016 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Curry helped the Warriors return to the NBA Finals in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, being defeated by the Toronto Raptors in 2019. After 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.

During the 2012–13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season, with 272. He surpassed that record in 2015 with 286, and again in 2016 with 402. On December 14, 2021, Curry set the NBA record for career three-pointers, surpassing Ray Allen. For their shooting abilities, Curry and teammate Klay Thompson have earned the nickname of the Splash Brothers; in 2013–14, they set the record for combined three-pointers made in an NBA season with 484, a record they broke the following season (525), and again in the 2015–16 season (678).

EARLY LIFE AND FAMILY

Stephen Curry was born in Akron, Ohio but mainly grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. The oldest son of former NBA player Dell Curry, Curry learned the fundamentals of basketball by watching and practicing with his father. However, it was mom Sonya, a former Division I volleyball star, who instilled the discipline to train in her son while Dell Sr. was with his team on road trips.

Curry has two siblings. His younger brother, Seth Curry, went on to a career in professional basketball after starting at Duke University. Stephen’s sister Sydel became a volleyball player at Elon University.

COLLEGE  CARRIER AND NBA DRAFT

Lightly recruited by major college basketball programs despite a standout career at Charlotte Christian School, Curry enrolled at tiny Davidson College near his hometown. He immediately showcased his skills by scoring 32 points against the University of Michigan in his second game and wound up earning Southern Conference freshman of the year honors.

“Make it work no matter what you have to work with – that’s something that stuck with me very early on as a point guard. Adjust. Get creative. Try a different angle, a different lane, a different move or a different shot – just make it work.” – Stephen Curry

Curry became a national star in March of his sophomore year when he carried the Wildcats to a berth in the regional finals of the NCAA tournament with a series of high-scoring performances.

After leading the nation with an average of 28.6 points per game as a college junior in 2009, Curry was selected with the seventh pick of the NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors.

NBA STARDOM

Despite his slight frame and boyish looks, Curry proved more than capable of handling the NBA opposition with his shooting and ball-handling abilities. As a guard, he averaged more than 22 points per game after the 2010 All-Star break and wound up finishing second in the Rookie of the Year balloting. His impressive play earned him a spot on the USA Men’s Basketball Senior National Team, which won the gold medal at the 2010 World Championships.

Curry sustained a sprained ankle while practicing with the national team, an injury that lingered for the following two seasons.

A return to full health allowed him to regain his dazzling form in 2012-13, and Curry responded by setting an NBA record with 272 three-pointers. Named the Western Conference Player of the Month in April, he followed by leading the Warriors to an upset against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.

CHAMPIONSHIP

After earning his first All-Star nod in 2014, Curry reached new levels of performance and popularity the following season. As one half of the “Splash Brothers” duo, which also featured sharpshooting guard Klay Thompson, Curry led an exciting Warriors team to an early 16-game win streak and was the leading vote-getter for the 2015 All-Star Game.

Curry capped a memorable season by helping the Warriors knock off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals, giving the team its first championship since 1975.

For an encore, Curry helped the Warriors to 24 consecutive wins out of the starting gate in the 2015-16 season, a torrid pace that propelled the team to an NBA-record 73 wins. The superstar guard again demonstrated his unparalleled skills throughout the season, finishing with an astounding 402 three-pointers and league-high 30.1 points per game.

Despite his accomplishments, Curry knew that the personal and team records would be for naught if Golden State couldn’t repeat as champions. The Warriors were put to the test when Curry suffered ankle and knee injuries early in the playoffs, but he returned to score a record 17 overtime points in Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals, before sparking a comeback win in the following round over the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, his quest for a second straight title fell just short when a long season came to a close with a 93-89 loss to the Cavaliers in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.

In 2017, Curry helped lead the Warriors to a Finals matchup with James and the Cavaliers once again. In Game 5, Curry scored 34 points and teammate Kevin Durant added another 39 points in a 129-120 victory, for the Warriors’ second NBA championship in three years. The victory was sweet and long-awaited for Curry. After the Warriors’ 2016 loss, he had asked a friend to save a cigar for him so he could smoke it when the team won back the title. Curry lit up his cigar live on NBA TV. “I’ve been waiting a whole year to smoke this,” Curry said.

Expected to contend for the title with his teammates again in 2018, Curry instead encountered a setback by way of an MCL sprain late in the regular season, his absence leaving the Warriors on shakier ground heading into the playoffs. But the superstar guard returned in the second round to finish off the New Orleans Pelicans and then helped put away the top-seeded Houston Rockets for the Western Conference crown. Game 1 of the fourth straight Warriors-Cavaliers Finals went down to the wire before Curry helped his team pull away in overtime with a game-high 33 points. Three games later, the veteran guard again topped the field with 37 points as the Warriors finished off the sweep to claim their third NBA title in four years.

TWO – TIME MVP

In 2015, Curry set a new record with 286 three-pointers and led the league in steals, an impressive all-round display that garnered him the Most Valuable Player Award.

In May 2016, Curry became the first person to be named Most Valuable Player by unanimous vote in NBA history, and one of only 11 players to win the MVP award two years in a row.

“I never really set out to change the game. I never thought that would happen in my career,” Curry said after receiving the MVP honor. “What I wanted to do was just be myself. … I know it inspires a lot of the next generation, a lot of people who love the game of basketball to value the skill of it, value the fact that you can work every single day to get better. You’ve got to be able to put the time and the work. That’s how I got here, that’s how I continue to get better every single day.”

NEW ARENA AND INJURY

Although Curry enjoyed a stellar 2018-19 campaign with an average of 27.3 points per game, there were signs of turmoil within the NBA’s reigning dynasty. Golden State still managed to advance to the 2019 NBA Finals, though Curry was unable to lift his team in the wake of injuries to Durant and Thompson, and the Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in six games.

Having bid farewell to Durant in free agency, the Warriors prepared to start a new chapter in 2019-20 with the move to the Chase Center in San Francisco. However, the team’s hopes of competing suffered a serious blow when Curry broke his hand just four games into the season, an injury that knocked him out of action until early March 2020.

STEPHEN CURRY’S SALARY AND CONTRACT

In 2012, Curry signed a four-year contract extension with the Golden State Warriors. Curry’s $12.1 yearly salary made him just the 85th-highest paid NBA player in the 2016-17 season, despite his two-time MVP status. However, in June 2017, Curry made up for his previous bargain rate and then some by signing the NBA’s highest-paid contract ever: a $201 million salary over five years that will take him through the 2020-21 season. Curry has signed endorsement deals with Under Armour, JPMorgan Chase, Brita, Vivo, and PressPlay.

PRODUCTION COMPANY AND SONY DEALS

In April 2018, it was announced that Curry’s newly formed production company, Unanimous Media, had signed a deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment. The arrangement gives Sony first-look rights at Unanimous’ film and TV projects, which reportedly will focus on faith, family, and sports-related content.

“I’ve been blessed to have this platform and I want to use it to affect the world positively,” said Curry said in a statement. “Partnering with Sony to share inspiring content with a global audience was a foregone conclusion.”

VOLUNTEER WORKS

Since his time as a student at Davidson, Curry has been involved with the United Nations Foundation Nothing But Nets campaign, which distributes insecticide-treated mosquito nets across Africa to help combat malaria. The NBA star also raises resources for schools through the Stephen Curry Foundation and annually hosts a pair of charity golf events.

 

WIFE AND CHILDREN

Curry married his college sweetheart, Ayesha Alexander, on July 30, 2011. Born on March 23, 1989, in Toronto, Canada, Ayesha Curry is an entrepreneur and former actress known for the TV series Ballers and as the host of the cooking show Ayesha’s Home Kitchen.

The Currys have two daughters. On July 19, 2012, they welcomed their first, named Riley. Their second daughter, Ryan, was born on July 10, 2015. Three years later on July 4, 2018, Ayesha gave birth to their first son, Canon W. Jack.

STEPHEN CURRY NETWORTH

Steph Curry has a net worth of $160 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.