Steph Curry

Before Stephen Curry came along, the boundaries of basketball were clearly defined. The rim was 18 inches around and 10 feet off the ground. The court was 94 feet from end to end. Within these perimeters, everyone understood what was possible. Great athletes could jump to the rim to score. Sharp shooters could be counted on to be effective from 15 to 20 feet away. Some players were able to do more. Julius Erving, Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins didn’t just jump to the hoop, they flew there. And, starting with Boston’s Chris Ford making the NBA’s first three-pointer on Oct. 12, 1979, shooters including Dennis Scott, Dale Ellis and Reggie Miller were bold enough to routinely plant their feet beyond the arc to make the three a weapon. But…

There are athletic families and then there are the Currys. Dell Curry was a standout basketball player at Virginia Tech before playing 16 seasons (1986-2002) with five NBA teams. He was also a good enough right-handed pitcher to be selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1985 MLB Draft. Sonya Adams, Dell’s eventual wife, also attended Virginia Tech and was a star in women’s volleyball. Dell and Sonya married in 1988 and had three children. The youngest, daughter Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University. Middle son Seth starred in basketball at Duke and eventually made it to the NBA, where he now plays for the Brooklyn Nets. And the oldest son—Wardell Stephen Curry II—well, he is likely to go down in history as not only one of the greatest hoops…

When it comes to the premier schools in the state of North Carolina for students studying political science and biology, Davidson ranks near the top. It’s an institution known for academic excellence, with a beautiful campus that covers more than 650 acres in the lush suburbs of Charlotte. At Davidson, there are 19 varsity sports teams. One of them is men’s basketball—a program that’s not exactly recognized for its legacy of greatness. Before Steph Curry’s arrival in 2006, the Davidson Wildcats had not been ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1969-70. In the three years Curry attended the school, the team made the list two different years. It was a stunning turnaround driven by one special player, but things didn’t start out brilliantly. In the first game of his…

Scouting players in professional sports is an extremely difficult task. Prospects who look like surefire stars often wind up busts, while others who fly under the radar can emerge as all-time greats. Scouts do the best they can to predict the future, but nobody knows for sure how a career will pan out. In 2009, NBA scouts didn’t know which way it would go for Steph Curry. There were many clear positives: Curry shot exceptionally well from beyond the three-point arc for a trio of NCAA seasons. His vision was excellent. And despite the fact that he almost always looked like one of the smallest guys on the court, he was strong enough to carry a team on his back his entire college career. But would all that translate to…

If there was one NBA team that seemed poised for a dynasty run entering the 2012-13 season, it was the Miami Heat. The world champions had just thumped the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games in the 2012 Finals. In the process, Heat stars LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh looked unflustered and unstoppable. This was the outcome the power trio had planned all along—ever since LeBron infamously announced, “I’m going to take my talents to South Beach,” during the televised ESPN special The Decision. Meanwhile, away from the spotlight that was pointed squarely on Miami, the Warriors continued to build their roster. In addition to adding Harrison Barnes, Festus Ezeli and Draymond Green in the draft, Golden State also decided to commit to Curry, who was entering his…

The preseason betting line for which team would win the 2014-15 NBA championship had San Antonio (the reigning title holders) and Cleveland (LeBron James’ “new home” in a return engagement) as favorites. Golden State had the eighth-best chance according to oddsmakers—but Steph Curry could not have cared less what Vegas was thinking. He was much more focused on meshing with his new head coach. During his three prior pro seasons, Curry flourished under Mark Jackson, the former NBA guard who walked the sidelines with a calm swagger. The new coach, Steve Kerr, was also a former NBA guard, but he had no coaching experience at all. Kerr did have one notable credential on his resume: As a player, he was part of five world championship teams. “Yes, it’s true, [Kerr]…