Dell Curry ‘soaking it all in’ calling Hornets’ games vs. Warriors featuring sons Seth, Steph
Long before Golden State star Steph Curry’s first shot of the night swished through the net and hours prior to Seth Curry checking into the game, a proud father beamed with pride in anticipation.
Dell Curry is fully aware of the rarity that occurred at Chase Center in San Francisco on Tuesday night during the penultimate matchup of the Charlotte Hornets’ marathon nine-game road trip.
That’s why he nearly bursts out of his suit during analysts duties on FanDuel Sports Southeast when the Hornets take on the Warriors, matching sons Seth Curry and Steph Curry against each other. He relishes the mini on-court family reunion, which happened for just the second time with Seth Curry playing for the Hornets, and is thankful he’s a part of it.
“Both of them are coming down to the end of their careers,” Dell Curry told The Observer. “I don’t know how long they are going to be around, much less play against each other. So, I hate that it’s on a back-to-back. I wish I could spend more time in the Bay Area.”
For now, the Hornets’ 128-92 loss to the Golden State will have to do. Sure, the Currys should get another stab at it on Monday, when the Warriors make their annual trek to Charlotte and Steph Curry’s yearly shining moment in uptown takes place.
But nothing is a given with the Hornets these days, particularly with the injury bug ravaging through the team seemingly as usual. At least Seth Curry has avoided any major ailments, allowing him to be called upon more this season than in 2023-24.
Seth Curry, who posted a team high-tying 14 points against the Warriors, played in 44 games combined last season with eight coming as a member of the Hornets prior to an ankle injury sidelining him for the season’s final 22 games. He didn’t get to show a whole lot after coming to his hometown team along with Grant Williams in the trade sending PJ Washington to the Dallas Mavericks.
However, before Seth Curry went down, it took less time than one would think for Dell Curry to slide into comfort zone calling Seth’s games, striking that balance between being the exuberant parent and the measured analyst.
“Probably a week last year, a week’s worth,” Dell Curry said. “The hoopla of him being here, wearing 30. The first couple of games were a little surreal, but now I’m settled in and just finding out that he can still play. He still brings a lot to the team. His movement, he’s really a high IQ guy and (it’s cool) just watching him mature as a player as a dad.”
Start nine games. Come in as a reserve in the other 39 appearances.
Name the task and Seth Curry remains a consistent picture of calmness. Whatever coach Charles Lee asks Seth Curry to do, he’s had little issue fulfilling the directive.
“That’s a big role,” Dell Curry said. “Eric Collins and I were talking about it, how he’s shooting such a high percentage from three. Some games he’ll get five shots, some games he won’t play, some games he gets six, seven minutes.
“To have the skill set to do that without consistent minutes is really tough. You have to be a veteran guy like he is and kind of know, keep your mind and know where you fit in, watch the game. He’s always been a student of the game, watches games constantly still. But to have the skill set to do that —- and it is a skill to be able to do that — brings a lot to the team and just shows the kind of person he is.”
He’s displaying it in other facets behind the scenes, too. Along with Taj Gibson, Seth Curry provides the Hornets with a veteran voice and gives Lee someone else to deliver a message or point something out.
“Not a guy that’s going to be boisterous and loud, but he knows what he’s doing and the other guys out there trust and respect that he knows that, too,” Dell Cury said. “When he does talk or when he does have advice they listen.”
Besides offering up some sage knowledge to the team’s young core, Seth Curry’s presence also assists the Hornets in other ways, with court spacing being right at the very top of the list. And it’s why he’ll set up shop somewhere in the vicinity of LaMelo Ball if possible, well aware how the defense will have to make a decision.
Sometimes, it’s all about the small things. And that’s also what Seth Curry brings.
“He understands if he’s on the same side as LaMelo, he makes LaMelo’s job easier,” Dell Curry said. “Because you can’t leave him. Obviously, he’s going to create driving lanes for LaMelo and LaMelo is a high IQ guy. He understands, ‘Ok I’ve got Seth in the corner, that’s probably a spot for me to have room to do what I do.’
“But he doesn’t just stand there. He understands how to move and get in the eyesight of that driver. So, again, just being a veteran guy, knowing his teammates from watching them before he got here, it helps everybody.”
In turn, getting to analyze those moments is an elixir for the eldest Curry. The uniqueness of the situation he finds himself in a little over a year after Seth Curry’s arrival in Charlotte surely offers a fountain of youth kind of vibe for the 60-year-old.
“Again, I’m soaking it all in because I don’t know how much longer things like this will happen,” Dell Curry said. “You don’t see it a lot in the league, if ever. So, I’m going to soak it all in.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
