Dell Curry

Wardell Stephen Curry Sr.(born June 25, 1964) is an American former professionalbasketballplayer. He played in theNational Basketball Association(NBA) from 1986 until 2002 and retired as theCharlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) and three-point field goals made (929).Curry currently works as acolor commentator, alongsideEric Collins, on Charlotte Hornets television broadcasts. He is the father ofNBAplayersStephen CurryandSeth Curry.
Born inHarrisonburg, Virginia, Curry was raised inGrottoesand playedhigh school basketballatFort Defiance, where he used his coach's barn to practice shooting daily. He finished as the all-time leading scorer in school history, and was named aMcDonald's All-Americanin1982. Curry also playedbaseball, and won state championships in both sports; he was selected by theTexas Rangersin the1982 Major League Baseball draft.
Curry was a four-year starter atVirginia TechinBlacksburgalong with contemporaries Bobby Beecher,Perry Young, Al Young, and Keith Colbert. The Hokies appeared in theNational Invitation Tournament(NIT) in1983and1984, finishing third in the latter. Although the team qualified for at-large bids to theNCAA tournamentin1985and1986, it lost in the first round on both occasions. In his senior season in 1986, Curry was named the player of the year in theMetro Conference. Prior to the1986–87season,NCAAbasketball did not feature athree-pointline; Curry's accurate long-range shooting was not rewarded, as it would be later in his NBA career. (In the early and mid 1980s, the three-point line was introduced in many conferences at varying distances, but it was not recognized by the NCAA.)
Curry also playedbaseballforVirginia Tech.He was selected by theBaltimore Oriolesin the 14th round of the1985 MLB draftbut opted to continue playing basketball.
Curry finished his Virginia Tech career with 2,389 points (second all-time) and 295 steals (all-time leader) in basketball, and a 6–1 record with a 3.81 ERA in baseball.
He was inducted into theVirginia Tech Sports Hall of Famein 1996, his first year of eligibility.
Curry was selected with the 15th overall pick by theUtah Jazzin the1986 NBA draft. He played one season in Utah before being traded to theCleveland Cavaliersin 1987, where he spent the 1987–88 season. He was left unprotected by Cleveland for the1988 NBA expansion draftand was the second player selected, the first by theCharlotte Hornets.  Curry spent 10 seasons in Charlotte, mostly coming off the bench to provide instant offense withthree-pointshooting. He was a regular in the discussions forSixth Man of the Yearand won the honor in the 1993–94 season. He was once the franchise's all-time statistical leader in points, games played, three-point field goals made and attempted, and three-point field goal percentage. When he left the team in 1998, he was the last player remaining from its inaugural season 10 years earlier.
Curry played one season for theMilwaukee Bucksbefore playing his final three seasons in the NBA for theToronto Raptors. He holds career averages of 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Curry retired as the all-time leading scorer in Hornets history with 9,839 points.
In 2004, Curry was inducted into theVirginia Sports Hall of Fame.
On June 18, 2007, Curry was named an assistant coach of the NBA'sCharlotte Bobcats, but he stepped down before the season began so that he could attend his sons' basketball games.
In 2009, Curry started working as a commentator, alongside longtime play-by-play announcer Steve Martin, for the Charlotte Bobcats (now Charlotte Hornets).
In 2016, Curry was the recipient of the Bobby Jones Award at the Athletes in Action All Star Breakfast, which is held each year at the NBA All Star Weekend.
On June 21, 1991, Curry and Charlotte Hornets teammateMuggsy Boguesappeared in aMinor League Baseballgame for theGastonia Rangersof theSouth Atlantic League.George Shinn, as owner of both teams, arranged thepublicity stunt. Curry allowed only one run and struck out four batters in a three inning start.
In 1995, Dell and his wife,Sonya(néeAdams), founded the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman, a preschool inHuntersville, North Carolina.
In 1998, Curry established a charitable foundation, the Dell Curry Foundation, which is a youth oriented program inCharlotte, North Carolina. The foundation runs five learning centers in Charlotte to provide educational training and drug abuse counseling.
Curry married his college sweetheart Sonya in 1988. They have three children,Stephen,Seth, and Sydel. Stephen is the starting point guard for theGolden State Warriorsand was drafted into the league by the franchise on Dell's 45th birthday in2009. With Golden State, Stephen has won four NBA championships, alongside twoNBA MVP Awardsand oneNBA Finals MVPin2022. Stephen is married toAyesha Curry, with whom he has four children.Sethcurrently plays for theCharlotte Hornets. He is married to Callie Rivers, sister of former NBA playerAustin Riversand daughter of former NBA player andMilwaukee Buckshead coachDoc Rivers, and together they have three children.Curry's daughter Sydel played volleyball atElon Universityand is married toPhoenix SunsplayerDamion Lee, whom she has a son and daughter with.She was featured onSay Yes to the Dressin 2018.
On August 23, 2021, Curry and his wife, Sonya, announced that they were divorcing after 33 years of marriage.He remarried around 2023.