INTRODUCTION introDUCTION The Golden State Warriors were leading the Portland Trail Blazers two games to one in the 2016 Western Conference Semifinals of the National Basketball Association NBA when the fourth game of the playoff series began The Warriors young superstar Stephen Curry had missed four playoff games with a sprained ligament in his right knee The plan was for him to enter the game from the bench when needed Portland played hard and Curry came in before the first half was over The Warriors were losing 57 67 at halftime With Curry on the floor the Warriors pulled ahead briefly before Portland tied the score The game went into overtime and Curry took over Golden State’s offense He scored an NBA playoff record 17 points in overtime as the Warriors won the game 132 125 It was a seemingly impossible feat for a player who had been recently injured He finished the game with 40 points overall and brought the Warriors closer to the NBA Finals Curry has long been proving doubters wrong from the teams he beat as an undersized high school player to the NBA teams that passed on drafting him His speed and three-point shots helped carry Davidson College to success in the National Collegiate Athletic Association NCAA tournament and the Warriors to multiple NBA championships His hard work and dedication have brought him success as a player as a family man and as an entrepreneur 4
Introduction Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball over Portland Trail Blazers player C J McCollum during a game in the second round of the 2016 NBA playoffs 5
CHAPTER ONE Young Star Stephen Curry was born Wardell Stephen Curry II on March 14 1988 in Akron Ohio His father Dell Curry played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA at the time His mother Sonya whose maiden name is Adams was a school administrator The Currys met when both were college students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University commonly called Virginia Tech Dell Curry was a standout player for Virginia Tech’s basketball Dell Curry left Stephen’s father started playing with the Charlotte Hornets for the 1988 89 season Here Dell looks for a way to pass around Calbert Cheaney of the Washington Bullets during a 1995 game Dell’s position throughout his career in the NBA was shooting guard 6
team the Hokies while he attended the college from 1982 to 1986 Sonya played college volleyball for the school Dell Curry was not a superstar player in the NBA but he was Young Star well-regarded for his ability to come off the bench and make three-point shots He played in the NBA for 16 seasons from 1986 to 2002 He enjoyed his greatest successes while with the Charlotte Hornets from 1988 to 1998 The family lived in Charlotte during those years The Currys had two more children born after Stephen a son named Seth and a daughter named Sydel Sonya founded Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman near Charlotte in 1995 The Currys briefly moved to Toronto Ontario while Dell played his final NBA seasons for the Toronto Raptors They moved back to Charlotte after he retired in 2002 Sonya Curry center enjoyed a successful career as a school administrator She encouraged Stephen left and his brother and sister to work hard at everything 7
