Belmont and Belcourt Biographies - Stephen Curry: An Unauthorized Biography

S TEPHEN C URRY

An Unauthorized Biography

Copyright 2013 by Belmont & Belcourt Biographies

All rights reserved. Neither this book nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form without permission.

eISBN: 9781619843516

Stephen Curry is in his fifth season as a guard with the Golden State Warriors. This rising star is widely considered the best shooter in the NBA (and therefore the world).

He is young, but has already established himself as one of the elite.

Curry's story is not one of flawlessness; and, given that his father Dell was one of the greatest shooters of all time, it is not shocking that Steph has risen to where he is today.

Curry was selected by the Warriors in the first round of the 2009 NBA Draft (7th overall). He finished his rookie season as runner-up for the 2009-10 NBA Rookie of the Year Award and was a unanimous First Team All-Rookie selection.

In 2010, Curry was a member of the USA Mens Basketball Senior National Team that went 9-0 and won the Gold Medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championships in Turkey.

In the 2010-11 season, Curry upped his scoring average to 18.6 points per game. He also averaged 5.8 assists per game and led the NBA in free-throw percentage. During the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, Curry won the Taco Bell Skills Challenge. He was also the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award for the 2010-11 season.

Curry made huge strides in his 2012-13 season, which included a 54-point outburst against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. On the final day of the regular season, Curry broke the NBA record for 3-pointers made in a single regular season. His 272 3-pointers were three more than previous record holder Ray Allen. Curry led the Warriors to the no. 6 seed of the 2013 NBA Playoffs and eventually a first-round series win over Denver in six games.

Curry splashed onto the national scene while leading Davidson College to the Elite 8 in the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament. His sharpshooting and boyish looks made him a national headline while his small school played the role of Cinderella.

In 2008-09 Curry led the nation in scoring with 28.6 points per game and was a consensus first-time All-America selection. Curry was twice named the Southern Conference Player of the Year. He holds career records at Davidson for scoring, 3-pointers, free throws, 30-point games and 40-point games.

Wardell Stephen "Steph" Curry II was born March 14, 1988. He is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Curry, who is known for his shooting skills, plays the point guard position and is listed at 6-feet, 2-inches and 185-pounds.

Born in Akron, Ohio to Dell and Sonya Curry, Stephen attended Charlotte Christian School in Charlotte, North Carolina. At Charlotte Christian School, he was named all-state, all-conference, and team MVP while he led his team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances. He finished his senior season by shooting over 48% from three-point range. Despite the success Curry had in high school, the then 6-foot, 160-pound senior did not receive any scholarship offers from major conference schools. Since his father, Dell, played for Virginia Tech and is in their Hall of Fame, Stephen wanted to play for the Hokies; but the Hokies only offered him a place as a walk-on player. After receiving offers from Davidson College and Virginia Commonwealth, he chose Davidson College, a school that had not won an NCAA Tournament game since 1969.

Curry played college basketball for the Davidson College Wildcats from 2006 to 2009. In 2008-09 he led the nation in scoring with 28.6 points per game and was a consensus first-team All-American selection. Curry was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year and to the John Wooden All-American team. He set the all-time scoring record for Davidson and the Southern Conference, set school career records for three-point field goals, free throws, 30-point games and 40-point games, set a single season NCAA record for 3-pointers, and led Davidson to two NCAA tournament appearances in a row.

Before Stephen Curry played even one college game, head coach Bob McKillop said at a Davidson alumni event, "Wait till you see Steph Curry. He is something special." In his second collegiate game against the University of Michigan, Curry scored 32 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Curry led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 21.5 points per game. He was second in the nation among freshmen in scoring to Texas' Kevin Durant, who ended up being the 2nd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft. Curry's scoring ability helped the Wildcats to a 295 overall record and a Southern Conference regular season title. On March 2, 2007, facing Furman University in the Southern Conference Semifinals, Curry set the NCAA freshman season record for 3-point field goals with 113, topping the previous season record of 109 set by Keydren Clark of St. Peter's. Curry eclipsed the school freshman scoring record with his 502nd point against University of Tennessee at Chattanooga on February 6, 2007. On March 15, 2007, Davidson marched into the NCAA tournament as a no. 13 seed set to play the University of Maryland. Even though Davidson lost 8270, Curry was the leading scorer with 30 points and received a standing ovation when he fouled out. Curry ended his freshman season with 730 total points, including 122 three-point field goals. After the season ended, Curry was selected for the USA team appearing at the 2007 FIBA U19 World Championships in Novi Sad, Serbia. Despite playing only 18 minutes per game there, Curry averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 45% from the floor. Curry was selected as the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Tournament MVP, All-tournament team, All-freshman team, and first team All-SoCon. He also was named an honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All-Mid-Major.

Coming off an amazing freshman season, Curry was eager to impress again. In his sophomore season Davidson played a very tough non-conference schedule, including North Carolina, Duke, NC State, and UCLA. Davidson was lightly regarded, but these games against top-ranked opponents were very close losses. Curry played well in each game, scoring 24 against UNC, 20 against Duke, 29 against NC State, and 15 against UCLA. On February 13, 2008, Curry's 41-point game against UNC-Greensboro helped Davidson come back from a 20-point first half deficit to win.

Curry once again led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 25.5 points per game and ended up fifth in Division I in scoring, while adding 4.7 rebounds per game and 2.8 assists per game. His scoring and leadership abilities led the Wildcats to a 266 regular season record, and a 200 conference record. As a result, Davidson earned its third straight NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament bid in 2008 (as a no. 10 seed). On March 21, 2008, Davidson matched up with no. 7 seed Gonzaga. Despite Gonzaga being ahead by as many as 11 points early in the second half of this game, Curry scored 30 points in that half to push Davidson to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969, 8276. Curry ended up with 40 points, going 8-for-10 from 3-point range. On March 23, Davidson played no. 2 seed Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown entered the game as a heavy favorite after an appearance in the Final Four in 2007 and holding a number eight national ranking. Curry was held to only five points in the first half of the game, and his team trailed by 17 points at that point. However, Curry scored 25 points in the second half to push Davidson to a stunning 7470 win.