Stephan Curry By Eriel Emerio Biography Wardell Stephen

Stephan Curry By Eriel Emerio

Biography § Wardell Stephen Curry II (born March 14, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Many players and analysts have called him the greatest shooter in NBA history. [1] In 2014– 15, Curry won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award and led the Warriors to their first championship since 1975. The following season, he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote and to lead the league in scoring while shooting above 50– 40– 90. That same year, the Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA season.

Biography § Curry is the son of former NBA player Dell Curry and older brother of current NBA player Seth Curry. He played college basketball for Davidson. There, he was twice named Southern Conference Player of the Year and set the all-time scoring record for both Davidson and the Southern Conference. During his sophomore year, he also set the single-season NCAA record for three-pointers made.

Three Pointer Cheese § During the 2012– 13 season, Curry set the NBA record for three-pointers made in a regular season with 272. He surpassed that record in 2015 with 286, and again in 2016 with 402. During the 2013– 14 season, he and teammate Klay Thompson were nicknamed the "Splash Brothers" en route to setting the NBA record for combined three-pointers in a season with 484, a record they broke the following season (525) and again in the 2015– 16 season (678).

Colage Career Freshman § Before Curry even played one college game, head coach Bob Mc. Killop said at a Davidson alumni event, "Wait 'til you see Steph Curry. He is something special. "[13] In his first collegiate game, against Eastern Michigan, Curry finished with 15 points but committed 13 turnovers. In the next game, against Michigan, he scored 32 points, dished out 4 assists, and grabbed 9 rebounds. Curry finished the season leading the Southern Conference in scoring with 21. 5 points per game. He was second in the nation among freshmen in scoring, behind only Kevin Durant of Texas. Curry's scoring ability helped the Wildcats to a 29– 5 overall record and a Southern Conference regular season title. On March 2, 2007, in the Southern Conference tournament semi-finals against Furman, Curry made his 113 th three-pointer of the year, breaking Keydren Clark's NCAA freshman season record for 3 -point field goals. [14]

Freshman § Curry eclipsed the school freshman scoring record with his 502 nd point against Chattanooga on February 6, 2007. [15] On March 15, 2007, Davidson marched into the NCAA tournament as a 13 seed set to play Maryland; despite Curry's game-high 30 points, Davidson lost 82– 70. [16] At the end of his freshman season, Curry was named Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, So. Con Tournament MVP, and selected to the So. Con All-tournament team, All-freshman team, and first team All. So. Con. He was also honorable mention in Sports Illustrated's All -Mid-Major. After the season ended, he was selected for the USA team to appear at the 2007 FIBA U 19 World Championships in which he averaged 9. 4 points, 3. 8 rebounds, and 2. 2 assists in 19. 4 minutes, helping team USA to a silver medal finish.

Sophomore § In his sophomore season in 2007– 08, Curry had grown to his adult height of 6 ft 3 in (1. 91 m) and again led the Southern Conference in scoring, averaging 25. 5 points per game while adding 4. 7 rebounds per game and 2. 8 assists per game. He led the Wildcats to a 26– 6 regular season record, and a 20– 0 conference record. As a result, Davidson earned its third straight NCAA Tournament bid. § On March 21, 2008, Davidson matched up with seventh-seeded Gonzaga led by 11 points early in the second half but Curry went on to score 30 points in the half[17] to push Davidson to their first NCAA Tournament win since 1969, 82– 76. Curry ended the game with 40 points while also going 8 -for-10 from 3 -point range. [18] On March 23, Davidson played second seeded Georgetown in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown, ranked eighth nationally, entered the game as a heavy favorite after an appearance in the Final Four in 2007. Curry managed just five points in the first half of the game as Davidson trailed by as many as 17 points, but his 25 second-half points led Davidson to a 74– 70 comeback victory. [17]

Sophomore § On March 28, 2008, Curry led Davidson to another win, against third-seeded Wisconsin. Curry scored 33 points as Davidson won 73– 56 to advance to the Elite 8. [19] Curry joined Clyde Lovellette, Jerry Chambers, and Glenn Robinson as the only college players to score over 30 points in their first four career NCAA tournament games. [19] Curry also tied Darrin Fitzgerald of Butler for the singleseason record for most three-pointers with 158. [20][21] On March 30, 2008, he set the record, against the top-seeded Kansas Jayhawks, with his 159 th threepointer of the season. Curry scored 25 points in the game but Davidson lost 57– 59, and the Jayhawks went on to win the championship. [22] § Curry finished the season averaging 25. 9 points, 2. 9 assists, and 2. 1 steals per game. He was named to the Associated Press' All-America Second Team on March 31, 2008. [23] He also was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Midwest Region of the 2008 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Tournament, becoming the first player from a team not making the Final Four to do so since Juwan Howard of Michigan in 1994. [24] Curry was nominated for an ESPY in the Breakthrough Player of the Year category. [25]

Junior § After Davidson's loss in the NCAA Regional Finals against Kansas, Curry announced that he would return for his junior year. [20] Curry stated he wanted to develop as a point guard as that would be his most likely position in the NBA. On November 18, 2008, Curry scored a career-high 44 points in Davidson's 82– 78 loss to Oklahoma. [26] He extended a career-long streak by scoring at least 25 points for the seventh straight game. [26] On November 21, Curry registered a careerhigh 13 assists, to go along with 30 points, in Davidson's 97– 70 win over Winthrop. [27] On November 25, against Loyola, he was held scoreless as Loyola constantly double-teamed Curry. It was Curry's only scoreless collegiate game and just his second without double-digit points. He finished 0 -for-3 from the field as Davidson won the game 78– 48. [28] In Davidson's next game (11 days later), Curry matched his career-high of 44 in a 72– 67 win over North Carolina State.

Junior § Curry surpassed the 2000 -point mark for his career on January 3, 2009, as he scored 21 points against Samford. [29] On February 14, 2009, Curry rolled his ankle in the second half of a win over Furman. The injury caused Curry to miss the February 18 game against The Citadel, the first and only game he missed in his college career. [30] On February 28, 2009, Curry became Davidson's all-time leading scorer with 34 points in a 99– 56 win against Georgia Southern. That gave Curry 2, 488 points for his career, surpassing previous school leader John Gerdy. [31] Davidson won the 2008– 09 Southern Conference regular season championship for the south division, finishing 18– 2 in the conference. [32][33]

Junior § In the 2009 Southern Conference Tournament, Davidson played Appalachian State in the quarterfinals and won 84– 68. Curry scored 43 points, which is the third most points in Southern Conference tournament history. [34] In the semifinals, against the College of Charleston, Curry had 20 points but Davidson lost 52– 59. Despite lobbying from Davidson head coach Bob Mc. Killop and Charleston coach Bobby Cremins, [35] the Wildcats failed to get an NCAA tournament bid. Instead, they received the sixth seed in the 2009 NIT. Davidson played the third seed, South Carolina, on the road in the first round. Curry scored 32 points as the Wildcats beat the Gamecocks 70– 63. [36][37] Davidson then fell 68– 80 to the Saint Mary's Gaels in the second round. Curry registered 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists in what was his final game for the Wildcats. [38] § He finished his final season at Davidson averaging 28. 6 points, 5. 6 assists, and 2. 5 steals. He was the NCAA scoring leader and was named a consensus first team All-American. [39] Although he opted out of his senior year at Davidson, Curry stated that he still planned to earn his degree. [40]

Early Season (2009 – 2011) § Curry was selected with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. [41] His rookie contract was worth $12. 7 million over four years. [42] In his first career game, he scored 14 points and distributed 7 assists. [43] With final season averages of 17. 5 points, 5. 9 assists, and 1. 9 steals per game, [41] he finished second in NBA Rookie of the Year voting to Tyreke Evans, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. [44] § At the 2011 NBA All-Star Weekend, Curry won the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge. [45] He finished the season with averages of 18. 6 points, 5. 8 assists, and 1. 5 steals per game and shot a franchise- and league-best 93. 4 percent from the free throw line. [41][46] He was also the recipient of the NBA Sportsmanship Award. [47]

Injured Year (2011 – 2012) § In May 2011, Curry had surgery on his right ankle to repair torn ligaments that were caused by multiple sprains from the season before. [50] The ankle healed in time for the start of the 2011– 12 campaign, but he sprained it again during the preseason and on January 4 in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. [51][52][53] On February 22, he strained a tendon in his right foot in a game against the Phoenix Suns. [54] In April, he had another surgery. [55] In total, Curry appeared in only 26 regular season games and his scoring average dipped to 14. 7 points per game. [41]

Come Back Season (2012 – 2014) § Prior to the start of the 2012– 13 season, Curry agreed to a four-year, $44 million rookie scale contract extension with the Warriors. [56] At the time, many basketball writers considered the move risky for Golden State because of Curry's injury history. [57] Over the course of the year, Curry and backcourt teammate Klay Thompson gained a reputation for their perimeter scoring, earning them the nickname "The Splash Brothers". [58] On February 27, Curry scored a career-high 54 points in a game against the New York Knicks, setting a franchise record for three-pointers made in a game with 11 and falling just one shy of tying the NBA record. [59][60] In the final game of the season, he set a new league record for three-pointers made in a single season. [61] His final averages were 22. 9 points and 6. 9 assists per game. [41] The Warriors finished the year with 47 wins, earning them the sixth seed in the Western Conference and a matchup with the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. [62] Golden State defeated the Nuggets in six games to advance to the second round, where Curry scored 44 points in a Game 1 loss to the Spurs. [63] The Warriors eventually lost the series in six games. [64]

Come Back Season (2012 – 2014) § In December of the 2013– 14 season, Curry eclipsed Jason Richardson as the franchise's leader in career threepointers. [65] In February, he made his first All-Star appearance, starting for the West. [66] Behind averages of 24 points and 8. 5 assists per game, he was selected to his first All-NBA Team. [41] Seeded sixth for the second consecutive year, the Warriors drew the Los Angeles Clippers to begin the postseason. [67] In Game 4, Curry scored 33 points, including a then playoff career-high seven three-pointers, in a winning effort. [68] Golden State went on to lose the series in seven games. [67]

NBA Champion and MVP (2014 – 2015) § Prior to the start of the 2014– 15 season, the Warriors hired former NBA player and general manager Steve Kerr as their new head coach. [70] Kerr implemented significant changes to Golden State's schemes, including playing at a faster pace and giving Curry more freedom to shoot, helping the team evolve into a title contender. [71] On February 4, Curry scored a season-high 51 points in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. [72] He was the leading vote-getter for the All-Star Game and won the Three-Point Contest on All-Star Saturday night. [73][74] On April 9, he broke his own league record for three-pointers made in a season during a game against the Portland Trail Blazers. [75] The Warriors finished the year with 67 wins and Curry was voted the NBA Most Valuable Player after posting averages of 23. 8 points, 7. 7 assists and 2 steals per game. [41] Over the course of the season, he sat out 17 fourth quarters due to Golden State's wide margins of victory. [76]

NBA Champion and MVP (2014 – 2015) § In Game 5 of the Conference Semifinals against the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry became the first player in league history to register six three-pointers and six steals in a game. [77] In Game 6, he made a playoff career-high eight three-pointers en route to a series-clinching victory. [78] In Game 3 of the Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets, he broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in a single postseason. [79][80] The Warriors went on to defeat the Rockets to earn a Finals matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Curry struggled to start the series, converting on only 22 percent of his field goals in Game 2. [81] In Game 5, he scored 37 points, [82] and in Game 6, Golden State closed out the series to win their first championship in 40 years. [83] For the Finals, Curry averaged 26 points and 6. 3 assists per game. [82]

Unanimous MVP (2015 – 2016) § On October 27, 2015, Curry scored 40 points (including a career-high 24 points in the first quarter) in the Warriors' season opening win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the most points scored by a reigning MVP in an opener since 1972 when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored 41 for the Milwaukee Bucks. [84] In addition, Curry started his seventh straight season opener, joining Jeff Mullins, and Chris Mullin as the only Warriors' players since 1962 to do so. [84] Two games later on October 31, also against the Pelicans, Curry scored 53 points on 17 -of-27 shooting to lead the Warriors to a 134– 120 win. Curry became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989– 90 to score 118 points in the first three games of a season. [85] On November 24, he scored 24 points in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Warriors set the record for best start in NBA history at 16– 0. [86] The Warriors improved to 24– 0 on December 11 with a double overtime win over the Boston Celtics, before finally having their streak broken the following day against the Milwaukee Bucks. [87]

Unanimous MVP (2015 – 2016) § On December 28, Curry recorded his sixth career triple-double with 23 points, a careerhigh 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 122– 103 win over the Sacramento Kings. During the game against the Kings, Curry was guarded by his brother Seth for the first time in their NBA careers. [88] On January 22, he recorded his second triple-double of the season and seventh of his career with 39 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds in a 122– 110 win over the Indiana Pacers. He made eight three-pointers in the game to reach 200 for the season, becoming the first player in NBA history to make 200 three-pointers in four straight seasons. [89] On February 3, he made 11 three-pointers (including seven in the first quarter) and scored 51 points (including a career-high 36 points in the first half) to lead the Warriors past the Washington Wizards 134– 121. His 51 points tied Gilbert Arenas and Michael Jordan for the Verizon Center record. [90] During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Curry competed in his third straight All-Star game for the West, and competed in the Three-Point Shootout, where he lost in the final round to teammate Klay Thompson. At 48– 4, the Warriors entered the All-Star break with the best record through 52 games in NBA history, one win better than the 1995– 96 Chicago Bulls and 1966– 67 Philadelphia 76 ers. [91]

Unanimous MVP (2015 – 2016) § On February 25, Curry made 10 three-pointers and scored 51 points to lead the Warriors past the Orlando Magic 130– 114. Curry topped 50 points for the third time in 2015– 16, the first player to do it that many times since Le. Bron James and Dwyane Wade did so in 2008– 09. Curry also surpassed Kyle Korver's mark of 127 straight games with a three-pointer. [92] In the following game two days later, the Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime thanks to a Curry three-pointer with 0. 6 seconds remaining. Curry finished with 46 points as his winning shot was his 12 th threepointer, tying the NBA single-game record (with Kobe Bryant and Donyell Marshall). [93] He also broke his own NBA record for threes in a season, leaving the new mark at 288. [94] On March 7, in a win over the Orlando Magic, Curry scored 41 points and became the first player in NBA history to make 300 three-pointers in a season. [95] On April 1, Curry missed a three-pointer to tie the game against the Boston Celtics with 5. 3 seconds left, as the Warriors suffered their first home defeat since January 27, 2015, losing 109– 106 to the Celtics to snap an NBA-record 54 -game winning streak in the regular season at Oracle Arena. [96] On April 7, Curry scored 27 points to help the Warriors become the second team in NBA history to win 70 games in a season with a 112– 101 win over the San Antonio Spurs. [97] In the Warriors' regular season finale on April 13 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Curry achieved another shooting milestone, becoming the first player to make 400 three-pointers in a season by knocking down 10 from long range on his way to 46 points and 402 total three-pointers. With a 125– 104 win over the Grizzlies, the Warriors became the first 73 -win team in NBA history, surpassing the 1995– 96 Chicago Bulls' 72– 10 record to finish the 2015– 16 season with just nine losses. [98] With the conclusion of the regular season, Curry became the seventh player in NBA history to join the 50– 40– 90 club, representing the shooting percentages from the field (. 504), beyond the arc (. 454), and the free-throw line (. 908). [99]

Unanimous MVP (2015 – 2016) § As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Warriors faced the eighth-seeded Rockets in the first round of the playoffs. In a Game 1 win, Curry scored 24 first-half points before an ankle injury ruled him out for the rest of the game. [100] He subsequently missed Games 2 and 3 of the series, which the Warriors split for a 2– 1 lead. [101] Curry returned in Game 4, but sprained his right knee on the final play of the second quarter. He did not play in the second half, but the Warriors won 121– 94. [102] He was diagnosed with a sprained right medial collateral ligament (MCL) and was ruled out for two weeks. [103] Without Curry, the Warriors defeated the Rockets in Game 5 to move on to the second round where they faced the Portland Trail Blazers. Curry missed the first three games of the series, as the Warriors led 2– 1 after Game 3. Curry returned to action in Game 4, coming off the bench to record 40 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in a 132– 125 overtime win. [104] Seventeen of those points came in the extra period, an NBA record for points scored by an individual in overtime. [105] A day after returning from injury, Curry was named the league's first ever unanimous MVP, becoming the 11 th player in NBA history to win the award in consecutive seasons and the first guard to do so since Steve Nash in 2004– 05 and 2005– 06. [106] Curry led the Warriors to a 4– 1 victory over the Trail Blazers, as they moved on to the Western Conference Finals where they faced the Oklahoma City Thunder. After going down 3– 1, he helped the Warriors rally to win the series 4– 3 and advance to their second straight NBA Finals. [107] In the Finals, Curry's play relative to his regular season performance remained inconsistent, as it had been since he returned from injury against Portland. [108] Still, he broke the Spurs' Danny Green's record of 27 three-pointers made in a Finals. [109] However, the Warriors, despite being up 3– 1 in the series, were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games and became the first team in NBA Finals history to lose a series after leading 3– 1. In the Game 7 loss, Curry scored 17 points and made 6 field goals on 19 attempts. [110]