Stephen Curry, who goes by the name Steph Curry is an American professional basketball player who led the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) to championships in 2014–15, 2016–17, and 2017–18 and to the best regular-season record in league history (73–9) in 2015–16 (according to Brittanica). But where did Steph grow up?
Although Steph was born in Akron, OH, he grew up mostly in Charlotte, NC – the most densely populated area in the North Carolina region. In 2020, North Carolina was home to 10,488,084 people with 1,110,356 residents in Mecklenburg County, where Charlotte is situated.
Let’s take a look at Steph’s younger years and how he became a profound professional basketball player.
North Carolina Childhood
Steph Curry was born Wardell Stephen Curry II, in Akron, OH on March 14, 1988, but mainly grew up in Charlotte, NC.
As the oldest son of former NBA player Dell Curry, Steph learned the basics of basketball by watching and practicing with his father. However, it was Steph’s mom, Sonya, a former Division 1 volleyball champ who encouraged her son to be disciplined with his training while his father was away with his team on road trips.
Steph revealed the most challenging part of his life in an interview:
“Probably the transition from high school to college. There was a lot of pressure being Dell Curry’s son, growing up in Charlotte, being in ACC country … I was looked over by pretty much every non-low-D1 school. And it was kind of [a] shock. I was a pretty good high school player, so it was kind of a weird dynamic. I really desperately wanted to play ACC basketball. Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, Wake Forest, all those schools, I never even got close to a call.”
College Career
After high school, Steph enrolled at tiny Davidson College, located about 20 miles north of Charlotte. He immediately showcased his skills as he scored 32 points against the University of Michigan in his second game and as a result, he earned Southern Conference freshman of the year honors.
In his sophomore year, Steph became a national star when he carried the Wildcats to a berth in the regional finals of the NCAA tournament with a series of high-scoring performances.
NBA Champ
June 2009 marks the beginning of Steph’s professional NBA career as he was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors, with an impressive salary of $2.26 million – that’s not too bad for his first rodeo.
In 2015, Steph made the bold claim that he’s the best player in the world and in an interview with Time he said, “That’s how I have confidence out there that I can play at a high level every night. I don’t get into debates, arguing with people about why I am versus somebody else. I feel like anybody who’s at the level I’m trying to be at, if you don’t think that when you’re on the floor, then you’re doing yourself a disservice.”
According to his Wikipedia page, Steph holds numerous records related to three-point shooting, has played ten seasons in the NBA, where he is a six-time All-Star, two-time Most Valuable Player, and a three-time NBA champion with the Warriors in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Steph’s contract of $200 million in 2017 was the NBA’s first, according to Essentially Sports.
Eleven years into his career in 2020, his net worth is estimated to be $79.8 million. He’s ninth on Forbes’ list of World’s highest-paid athletes of 2019 and 23rd in the Richest celebrities of 2019.
It appears that Steph was destined to become a world-renowned sportsman and had both his parents behind him and his progression since day one. His parents spurred him on, encouraging him to be disciplined, but the rest of it is all down to the man himself.
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