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Basketball star Stephen Curry wanted to show the Davidson community how thankful he is for the past three years.
So, on the eve of his NBA career, Curry made a remarkable gesture. At a personal cost of $3,000, he sent out 2,000 "Thank You" postcards this month to fans, faculty, students and alumni.
"I started thinking about this while I was taking a summer school class at Davidson," Curry said in a phone interview Wednesday from Oakland, Calif., after completing a practice with his new team, the Golden State Warriors. "It hit me that I wasn't going to be able to say goodbye to everyone I wanted to, and that they might have a hard time keeping up with me now that I'm on the West Coast. I want people to know that even though I'm here, I'm still deeply tied into Charlotte and Davidson. I still bleed Carolina blood."
The 5.5-by-8.5-inch postcard has three pictures of Curry and the words "Thank You Davidson" on the front - and a 201-word message from Curry on the back.
"Before I begin the next chapter in my life," it reads, "I wanted to take this opportunity to personally thank all of the loyal alumni, students and fans of Davidson College who have so passionately supported me over the past three years."
While the postcard was designed by the agency that also negotiated his pro contract, Curry said he paid all of the costs for it, and that the words and idea were his. Davidson also helped out by supplying some mailing lists.
"I've been around the Charlotte area so long - some people have been watching me play since middle school," said Curry, the son of former 16-year NBA veteran and current Charlotte Bobcats broadcaster Dell Curry. "And so many people have been so great to me and helped me along the way."
The card ends with Curry's typed name and a plug for his favorite Bible verse (Philippians 4:13 - "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.")
It's not unprecedented for an athlete to say both "thank you" and "farewell" on a large scale to fans. In separate acts, major league baseball pitchers CC Sabathia and Kerry Wood both spent thousands of dollars for full-page newspaper ads to express such sentiments when they left cities in which they had lived and worked for years.
Such gestures are more often made by professional and college teams, however, with their large marketing departments staffed with savvy businessmen. They rarely come from 21-year-old NBA rookies who haven't even played a real professional game yet.
But Curry, as most around here know, is an unusual kid.
Curry spent three starry years at Davidson, where he was a consensus first-team All-American and led the nation in scoring at 28.6 points per game in 2008-09. He declared his intentions to go pro rather than return for his senior season at a teary news conference in April.
The Wildcats went 85-20 in Curry's three seasons. They made it to the NCAA tournament twice, including the 2008 season when they won three games and got within a missed three-pointer of making it to the Final Four.
Golden State drafted Curry No.7 overall in June. He signed a contract in July that reportedly will pay him about $12.7 million over the next four seasons, assuming the Warriors pick up the relevant team options.
So, like a lot of pro athletes, Curry has the money to send 2,000 thank-you postcards.
But he's also got something many of them don't have - a genuine, Opie Taylor sort of goodness. Curry has a deep faith in God and sincerely wants to do the right thing here on Earth. Most everyone who meets him - basketball fan or not - ends up charmed by him.
Now six classes short of graduating from Davidson, Curry proclaims in the postcard that he intends on "achieving my goal by earning my college degree."
Curry is trying to impress his new employer. He has rented a condominium in the same Oakland high-rise where head coach Don Nelson lives. "He's in the penthouse," Curry laughed. "I'm in the middle."
Don't think that Curry is immune from being 21 years old. He bought a black Mercedes and some flashy suits with some of his new money. And the first time he was supposed to do an interview for this column, he slept through the appointed time.
But Curry's maturity has long been a strong suit. He has impressed the Warriors in the preseason with his basketball IQ and his ability to play point guard. He also leads the Warriors in assists and steals.
After seven exhibitions, however, Curry is shooting only 19.1 percent from three-point range and averaging a modest 9.4 points per game.
"The points - those will come," said the 6-foot-3-inch Curry. "It's a little different, though, shooting over people in the NBA. Everyone seems to be 6-foot-7 with really long arms."
The Warriors' only game in Charlotte this season comes March 6 uptown against the Bobcats. That same weekend, in the same arena, Davidson will try to win the Southern Conference basketball championship - without Curry.
On that first weekend of March, Davidson fans will miss Curry keenly.
Just an idea, Steph: Keep your mailing list handy. An early "Happy Easter" card around that time would really help soften the blow.
