Stephen Curry | Biography and
FactsStephen CurryCurry grew up as theson of Dell Curry, a 16-year NBA veteranimmersed in basketball. The youngerCurry learned the finer points of hisfather’s game. His keen shooting andhigh “basketball IQ” weren’t enough toconvince college coaches despite hisstrong frame and impressive 6-footheight. He did not receive scholarship
offers from major college basketball
programs and attended Davidson (North
Carolina) College, an enrollment of less
than 2,000 students. However, he quickly
made his mark, averaging 21.5 points per
game as a freshman, leading all
freshmen in the country. Curry became a
national sensation during his sophomore
season when he led 10th-ranked
Davidson’s improbable run to the Elite
Eight of the National Collegiate Athletic
Association Men’s Basketball
Championship with a performance that
epitomized what was soon recognized as
his worth. signature shot: a three-point
shot from outside the fairway. His junior
season didn’t have that kind of
postseason heroics, but his 28.6 points
per game average led the nation and he
was named a consensus first-team All-
American. He then entered the 2009 NBA
Draft where the Warriors selected him
with the seventh overall pick.Usain Bolt
of Jamaica reacts after breaking the
world record of 19:30 to win the gold
medal as Churandy Martina of the
Netherlands Antilles (left) and Brian
Dzingai of Zimbabwe come after him in
the 200m final of Menand#039; The
National Stadium during Day 12 of the
2008 Beijing Olympics on August 20, 2008
in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics,
Track & Field, Athletics)Curry made an
immediate impact with the Warriors,
emerging as the team’s starting point
guard and averaging 17.5 points per
game in his first season. Multiple ankle
sprains limited Curry to just 26 games in
the 2011–12 season, and he underwent
ligament surgery in the offseason. He
then signed a modest four-year, $44
million contract extension that allowed
Golden State to surround its budding star
with other talented players. Curry led the
league in 3-pointers made (272) in 2012-
13. The following season, he repeated
that feat (261) and earned his first All-
Star selection. In the 2014–15 season, he
made a then-record 286 three-pointers,
leading the Warriors to an NBA-best 67–
15 record and was named the league’s
Most Valuable Player (MVP). The
following season, Curry led the Warriors
to their first championship in 40 years
over the Cleveland Cavaliers.Curry led
his team to even greater heights in 2015-
16 as Golden State defeated the 1995-96
Chicago Bulls with a regular season
record of 72-10 for another victory. He
also led the NBA with an average of 30.1
points per game and broke his own
league record with an astounding 402
three-pointers. Curry won his second
straight MVP award for his efforts and
became the first person to be voted MVP
unanimously. However, the Warriors’
historic season ended in shocking
disappointment when the team lost 3-1 to
the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.In 2016-
17, Curry led the NBA in 3-point field
goals made (324) for the fifth straight
season, while the Warriors led the NBA
in wins (67) again. Golden State then
reeled off an unprecedented 12 straight
wins to open the postseason and capture
its third straight Western Conference
championship. The Warriors later lost in
Game 4 of the NBA postseason finals, but
the team defeated the Cavaliers in five
games to win Curry’s second NBA
championship.A knee injury limited
Curry to 51 games in the 2017-18 regular
season, ending his five-year streak as the league leader in three-point field goals. He returned in the second round of the
playoffs to help the Warriors win their fourth straight conference title and third NBA championship (in a four-game sweep of the Cavaliers). Curry continued his brilliant play in 2018-19, averaging 27.3 points per game and earning first-team NBA honors. In the playoffs, he led the injured Warriors to their fifth consecutive conference championship, the most since the 1970–71 NBA Conference. However, additional injuries and inspired play by the opposing Toronto Raptors led to Golden State’s six-game Finals loss. The Warriors entered the 2019-20 season shortened after losing fellow All-Stars Kevin Durant (leaving via free agency) and Klay Thompson (2019 season-ending injury). Curry himself played just five games this campaign after breaking his hand early in the season, leading the Warriors to the worst
record in the league. Curry returned to
form and had a fantastic 2020-21 season.
He led the NBA with 32 points per game, but the team missed the playoffs despite a winning record. In December 2021, Curry made another mark in the NBA history books by making 2,974 career 3-pointers, breaking the NBA’s all-time 3-
pointerrecord. After another shutout in
2020, Thompson returned to the team in
2021-22 and finally helped the Warriors regain form as Golden State won 53
games and reached the postseason.
There, the team and Curry regained their
dominance, losing only six games in the
NBA finals to win the fourth
championship of the Curry era, and he
was named Finals MVP after averaging
31.2 points per game in a six-game
winning streak. Boston Celtics.Subscribe
to Britannica Premium and access
exclusive content.League Growth and
MembershipBy the early 1980s, the NBA
was plagued by money-losing franchises,
low viewership, declining television
ratings, and limited national appeal. The
league soon bounced back beginning in
1984 under NBA commissioner David
Stern, who helped shape it into an
international entertainment company.
Aggressive marketing highlighted star
players such as Magic Johnson, Larry
Bird and especially Michael Jordan.
Other innovations included league caps
on player salaries, lucrative broadcast
rights to network and cable television,
and expanded All-Star Game
festivities.The NBA membership was
divided into two conferences, each with
three divisions. There were 30 teams in line.
Leave a Reply