The meteoric rise of the Golden State Warriors has changed the modern NBA for the better. Thanks to a skilled coach in Steve Kerr and a top-tier lineup, they burst onto the court in 2015 to beat not just their own franchise’s records, but also all-time NBA records too. Of the Warriors’ talented players, none of them are more celebrated than Steph Curry.
As a point guard for the Warriors, Steph Curry is one of the biggest names in the sport. He’s also regarded as the greatest point guard and shooter in the history of the NBA, owing to his relentless three-point shooting, which has inspired many modern teams to do the same.
Here’s an overview of Stephen Curry’s life and career, so we can better understand the man who is the face of the Warriors’ success. In analyzing the best ballplayers right now, gamblers can also find more luck with Fanduel’s NBA future players.
Early Career
Steph Curry is the son of Dell Curry, and they share the first name Wardell, with Stephen being Steph Curry’s last name. Dell was a member of the Charlotte Hornets where, during warm-ups, Curry would watch them perform. Dell also played a stint with the Toronto Raptors, too. Upon his father’s retirement, Curry joined Davidson College as a collegiate basketball player.
Curry’s career with the Davidson Wildcats is well-documented. He finished his first season by scoring an average of 21.5 points per game, more than anybody else in the Southern Conference. He was the second highest-scoring freshman, the first was Kevin Durant. He also beat the NCAA freshman record for three-pointers by making 113 in a year.
Having grown to full height for his sophomore year, Curry continued to push Davidson further in collegiate rankings. After suffering a tournament loss against the Kansas Jayhawks in his sophomore year and then recording a scoreless game against the Loyola Ramblers, Curry came back swinging with a 44-point game, beating the NC State Wolfpack at 72-67. Soon after, he surpassed a career record of 2000-points.
By the end of his last collegiate season, Curry averaged 28.6 points, 2.5 steals, and 5.6 assists. He was also the scoring leader of the NCAA and was named an All-American.
First Season With The Warriors
Steph Curry didn’t shop around when he was signed to the NBA – he’s been with the Warriors from the start. Drafted as the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, he played 80 games in his inaugural season and averaged 17.5 points.
He was in the running for Rookie of the Year just halfway into his first season and he was named the Western Conference’s Rookie of the Month. While he missed out on the year award, he was a unanimous NBA All-Rookie First Team nomination.
In eight games, Curry scored over 30 points and surpassed records by LeBron James. He also challenged Michael Jordan by playing five games where he scored 30 points and also recorded 10 assists. At the end of the season, he scored 42 points in a single game and had achieved 166 three-pointers, more than any rookie in history.
MVP With The Warriors
Of course, any Warriors history pre-2014 gets overshadowed by what comes next. In the 2014-15 season, with Steve Kerr as their new coach, the Warriors would figure out how to weaponize Curry and hold the NBA championship at ransom for five whole years.
Part of Kerr’s winning strategy was giving Curry all the breathing room he needed, so he could keep sinking shots and racking up points for the team. He quickly registered 51 points in a game and became the NBA MVP after setting an average of 23.8 points per game. In the Conference Semifinals, he made six three-pointers and six steals in a single game.
As the 2015-16 season started, Curry’s first three games scored 118 points and beat Michael Jordan’s previous record. They even became the first team ever to beat the NBA’s former favorites, the Los Angeles Lakers, 16-0.
Having mentioned Jordan, Curry also set a 125-104 win over the Memphis Grizzlies that was their 73rd win in the season, surpassing the 72 wins of the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls season. That was the season where Michael Jordan returned and played alongside a young Steve Kerr, and now Kerr’s own team was outperforming them.
From there, Curry and the Warriors went from strength to strength until 2019. While the Warriors haven’t seen a championship win since Curry is currently the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers at 2,974.