Around Town

Fun facts about Charlotte’s Stephen Curry, the NBA MVP

By Corey Inscoe
Jeff Chiu AP

Former Charlotte Christian and Davidson basketball star Stephen Curry was named NBA Most Valuable Player Monday.

Curry, a point guard for the Golden State Warriors, received 100 of a possible 130 first-place votes. He finished the regular season averaging 23.8 points per game (sixth in the NBA) and 7.7 assists per game (also sixth). He led the league in free-throw percentage with 91.4 percent.

In honor of his selection here are 15 things you may not know about Curry.

1) An 8-year-old Curry played in an exhibition during halftime of the 1996 Nike Hoop Summit high school all-star game in Charlotte.

From an Observer article at the time: “He started fast breaks, created turnovers, dribbled through his legs, whipped behind-the-back passes and nailed jumpers, including a long-distance splash with seconds left that brought a roaring response from the crowd.”

2) Curry is the son of former Charlotte Hornets player Dell Curry. His mom, Sonya, was a volleyball player at Virginia Tech, his younger brother, Seth, starred on the Duke basketball team and his younger sister, Sydel, plays volleyball at Elon.

3) Charlotte Christian School will celebrate Stephen Curry Day May 8.

4) Curry, at 6-foot, 160 pounds, was considered undersized as a high school senior, and the only ACC school even remotely interested in him was Virginia Tech. National recruiting analyst Bob Gibbons never included Curry in his top 100 high school players.

“We thought he was too small to be a major-college player,” Gibbons said.

Curry is currently listed at 6-foot-3, 190 pounds.

DAN HALE

5) Before his freshman year at Davidson, coach Bob McKillop told a group of alumni in Charlotte that Curry “would be one of the great players in Davidson history.”

6) In Curry’s first game at Davidson against Eastern Michigan, he finished with 13 turnovers. The next night, he scored 32 points against Michigan.

7) While at Davidson, Curry co-starred in a rap video about the school’s dining hall. (He should probably stick to basketball. Just saying.)

8) Curry became a March Madness star his sophomore year when he led Davidson to the 2008 Elite 8. The elder Curry to the Observer’s Scott Fowler during that 2008 run: “I’m not seeing so much of myself in him anymore. I couldn’t dribble that well. I wasn’t as quick as he is. I think he’s surpassed me.”

Jeff Siner MCT

9) Curry turned pro after his junior season at Davidson and was selected by the Warriors with the No. 7 pick of the 2009 NBA draft.. The Bobcats had the No. 12 pick that year and selected Gerald Henderson.

10) This year he broke his own NBA record for 3-pointers in a season with 286. He also won this season’s NBA 3-point contest in February.

11) He thanked pretty much everyone in his MVP acceptance speech.

12) He has his own line of Under Armour shoes.

13) He likes to play golf.

14) Curry and his wife, Ayesha, own a home in Charlotte and live there in the summer.

15) He loves basketball.

OK, you probably knew that last one.

Photos: AP; Jeff Siner/Charlotte Observer; Dan Hale/Charlotte Observer

Corey Inscoe covers sports for the Charlotte Observer’s community sections, but also really likes good music, good food and Charlotte beer. Follow him on Twitter @CoreyInscoe.

This story was originally published May 4, 2015 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Fun facts about Charlotte’s Stephen Curry, the NBA MVP."

Get unlimited digital access
#ReadLocal

Try 1 month for $1

CLAIM OFFER