Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry IInote (born March 14, 1988) is an NBA guard for the Golden State Warriors who holds both the NCAA and NBA records for 3-pointers made in a season, as well as the NBA record for three-point shots made of all-time. Curry has led the Warriors, a long-suffering franchise before his arrival, to four NBA championship titles (2015, '17, '18, '22) and helped them set the single-season wins record with 73 in 2015-16. Individually, he was named NBA MVP in '15 and '16 (becoming the first ever unanimous winner in the latter season after leading the NBA in points and steals) and the NBA Finals MVP in '22.
Son of former NBA guard, '94 Sixth Man of the Year, and current Charlotte commentator Dell Curry, Steph first drew national attention in college as a 3-point specialist who led small Davidson College to the NCAA Elite 8 in 2008 and led the NCAA in scoring the following year. The Warriors drafted the him #7 overall in 2009, but early-career ankle injuries led many to consider him another bust for the hapless Warriors. However, finally healthy in 2012, Curry's career took off on a remarkable upward trajectory. Initially labelled an "undersized" shooting guard, he established himself as an accurate and creative passer, talented ball-handler, and even capable defender. However, it was his shooting that drew the most accolades, and he is now widely considered the best shooter in basketball history. He broke the single-season three-point shooting record in 2013 and set a new one in each of the next three seasons, utilizing a borderline indefensible combination of quick release and improbable range.
During that run, Curry became the first NBA player to sign a "supermax" contract worth over $200 million. Still in the prime of his career, Curry sits on a short list of contenders to the title of "best player in the league"; though he missed most of the 2019–20 season to a broken wrist, he surged past the career three-pointer record the following year while claiming another scoring title and took the Warriors to a fourth championship in the next, winning his first Finals MVP. While the Warriors have not been as dominant since, Curry has remained exceptional, winning Clutch Player of the Year in 2024 and finally bringing his talents to the Olympic Games later that year, helping lead the United States to another gold medal.
Steph's unique combination of scoring volume and shooting efficiency is the stuff of which basketball analysts' fantasies are made. The simplest way to explain his domination of the 3-point line is a single number. Before Curry, the record for three-point makes in a single season was held by legendary shooter Ray Allen, who hit an incredible 269 shots from deep. As of 2024, Curry's record is 402. He has also led the league in made three-pointers in eight seasons (only Ray Allen and James Harden have even done so thrice, and the latter only in seasons where Curry missed ten or more games) and has the mundane but no less valuable distinction of being the NBA's all-time career leader in free throw percentage. His playstyle has effectively changed how basketball is played at the NBA level, positioning the three-pointer as an increasingly integral part of the standard offense throughout the 2010s while resulting in a drastic deemphasis on more traditional "bigs" as all five players on the court need to be able to defend out to the three-point line. His playstyle has also aged exceptionally well: Curry has put up more 40-point games past the age of 30 than any NBA player.
Steph's younger brother Seth has been a journeyman in the NBA and G-League since 2013; while not as versatile or prolific as his brother, he shares his family's long-range accuracy.
In addition to basketball, he's a keen golfer and is the resident golf pro on Holey Moley, which he also executive produces. Curry also provided the startup funding (six years' worth!) for new men's and women's golf programs at Howard University, a historically black institution in Washington, D.C.; the new teams began play in 2020–21. He is featured on the cover of NBA 2K16. Curry also produces for film and television under his production company Unanimous Media, having produced the animated series Good Times: Black Again and the animated film GOAT which he also provides voice work for.
Tropes associated with Stephen Curry:
- Game-Breaker: NBA 2K nerfed digital Curry from his real-life accuracy, noting that a perfect replication would cause online players to simply pick Steph and chuck at will. This is referenced by UrinatingTree in 2018, where he said Steph can "enable cheat codes and rain 3s on a team".
- Oral Fixation: Does this
in videogames, chewing his mouth piece.