Dell Curry
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Harrisonburg, Virginia | June 25, 1964
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
Career information | |
High school | Fort Defiance (Fort Defiance, Virginia) |
College | Virginia Tech (1982–1986) |
NBA draft | 1986 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15th overall |
Selected by the Utah Jazz | |
Playing career | 1986–2002 |
Position | Shooting guard |
Number | 30 |
Career history | |
1986–1987 | Utah Jazz |
1987–1988 | Cleveland Cavaliers |
1988–1998 | Charlotte Hornets |
1999 | Milwaukee Bucks |
1999–2002 | Toronto Raptors |
Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Career NBA statistics | |
Points | 12,670 (11.7 ppg) |
Rebounds | 2,617 (2.4 rpg) |
Assists | 1,909 (1.8 apg) |
Stats at NBA.com | |
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Wardell Stephen "Dell" Curry I[1] (born June 25, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1986 until 2002 and retired as the Charlotte Hornets' all-time leader in points (9,839) and three-point field goals made (929).[2] Curry currently works as a color commentator, alongside Eric Collins, on Charlotte Hornets television broadcasts. He is the father of NBA players Stephen Curry and Seth Curry.
Early years[]
Born in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Curry was raised in Grottoes and played high school basketball at Fort 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 a McDonald's All-American in 1982. Curry also played baseball, and won state championships in both sports; he was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 1982 Major League Baseball draft.[3]
College career[]
Curry was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg along with contemporaries Bobby Beecher, Perry Young, Al Young, and Keith Colbert. The Hokies appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) in 1983 and 1984, finishing third in the latter. Although the team qualified for at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in 1985 and 1986, it lost in the first round on both occasions. In his senior season in 1986, Curry was named the player of the year in the Metro Conference. Prior to the 1986–87 season, NCAA basketball did not feature a three-point line; 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 played baseball for Virginia Tech.[4] He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the 1985 MLB draft but opted to continue playing basketball.[5]
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.[4]
He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, his first year of eligibility.[6]
NBA career[]
Curry was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA draft. He played one season in Utah before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987, where he spent the 1987–88 season. He was selected by one of the NBA's two newest teams for the 1988–89 season, the Charlotte Hornets, in the expansion draft after he was made available by the Cavaliers. Curry spent 10 seasons in Charlotte, mostly coming off the bench to provide instant offense, utilizing three-point shooting. He was a regular in the discussions for Sixth Man of the Year, but did not actually win the award until the 1993–94 season. He was once the franchise's all-time statistical leaders in points, games played, three-point field goals made and attempted, and three-point field goal percentage. Upon departing the franchise in 1998, he was the last player remaining from its inaugural season 10 years earlier.[3]
Curry played one season for the Milwaukee Bucks before playing his final three seasons in the NBA for the Toronto 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.[7]
NBA career statistics[]
GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
Regular season[]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986–87 | Utah | 67 | 0 | 9.5 | .426 | .283 | .789 | 1.2 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 4.9 |
1987–88 | Cleveland | 79 | 8 | 19.0 | .458 | .346 | .782 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 1.2 | .3 | 10.0 |
1988–89 | Charlotte | 48 | 0 | 16.9 | .491 | .345 | .870 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .9 | .1 | 11.9 |
1989–90 | Charlotte | 67 | 13 | 27.8 | .466 | .354 | .923 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 1.5 | .4 | 16.0 |
1990–91 | Charlotte | 76 | 14 | 19.9 | .471 | .372 | .842 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 1.0 | .3 | 10.6 |
1991–92 | Charlotte | 77 | 0 | 26.2 | .486 | .404 | .836 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 1.2 | .3 | 15.7 |
1992–93 | Charlotte | 80 | 0 | 26.2 | .452 | .401 | .866 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 1.1 | .3 | 15.3 |
1993–94 | Charlotte | 82 | 0 | 26.5 | .455 | .402 | .873 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 1.2 | .3 | 16.3 |
1994–95 | Charlotte | 69 | 0 | 24.9 | .441 | .427 | .856 | 3.4 | 1.6 | .8 | .3 | 13.6 |
1995–96 | Charlotte | 82 | 29 | 28.9 | .453 | .404 | .854 | 3.2 | 2.1 | 1.3 | .3 | 14.5 |
1996–97 | Charlotte | 68 | 20 | 30.6 | .459 | .426 | .803 | 3.1 | 1.7 | .9 | .2 | 14.8 |
1997–98 | Charlotte | 52 | 1 | 18.7 | .447 | .421 | .788 | 1.9 | 1.3 | .6 | .1 | 9.4 |
1998–99 | Milwaukee | 42 | 0 | 20.6 | .485 | .476 | .824 | 2.0 | 1.1 | .9 | .1 | 10.1 |
1999–00 | Toronto | 67 | 9 | 16.3 | .427 | .393 | .750 | 1.5 | 1.3 | .5 | .1 | 7.6 |
2000–01 | Toronto | 71 | 1 | 13.5 | .424 | .428 | .843 | 1.2 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 6.0 |
2001–02 | Toronto | 56 | 4 | 15.8 | .406 | .344 | .892 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .4 | .1 | 6.4 |
Career | 1,083 | 99 | 21.7 | .457 | .402 | .843 | 2.4 | 1.8 | .9 | .2 | 11.7 |
Playoffs[]
Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1987 | Utah | 2 | 0 | 2.0 | .000 | .000 | — | .0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 0.0 |
1988 | Cleveland | 2 | 0 | 8.5 | .250 | .000 | — | .5 | 1.0 | .0 | .5 | 1.0 |
1993 | Charlotte | 9 | 0 | 24.7 | .433 | .286 | .818 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 1.4 | .0 | 11.0 |
1995 | Charlotte | 4 | 0 | 26.8 | .471 | .429 | .909 | 2.3 | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | 12.8 |
1997 | Charlotte | 3 | 1 | 16.7 | .294 | .250 | 1.000 | .3 | 1.7 | 1.3 | .0 | 4.7 |
1998 | Charlotte | 9 | 0 | 19.0 | .593 | .250 | .857 | 2.1 | 1.1 | .8 | .3 | 5.8 |
1999 | Milwaukee | 3 | 0 | 16.3 | .404 | .125 | 1.000 | 1.3 | .3 | 1.0 | .0 | 3.0 |
2000 | Toronto | 3 | 0 | 10.0 | .133 | .667 | .500 | .7 | .3 | .7 | .0 | 2.3 |
2001 | Toronto | 12 | 0 | 15.2 | .500 | .378 | .833 | 1.2 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 6.5 |
2002 | Toronto | 4 | 0 | 14.8 | .422 | .800 | 1.000 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.3 | .5 | 7.0 |
Career | 51 | 1 | 17.5 | .400 | .350 | .870 | 1.7 | 1.1 | .8 | .1 | 6.7 |
Post-playing career[]
In 2004, Curry was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.[8]
On June 18, 2007, Curry was named an assistant coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, but he stepped down before the season began so that he could attend his sons' basketball games.[9]
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.
Personal life[]
On June 21, 1991, Curry and Charlotte Hornets teammate Muggsy Bogues appeared in a Minor League Baseball game for the Gastonia Rangers of the South Atlantic League. George Shinn, as owner of both teams, arranged the publicity stunt. Curry pitched three innings, allowed only one run and struck out four batters in a three inning start.[10][11]
In 1995, Dell and his wife, Sonya (née Adams), founded the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman, a preschool in Huntersville, North Carolina.[12]
In 1998, Curry established a charitable foundation, the Dell Curry Foundation, which is a youth oriented program in Charlotte, North Carolina. The foundation runs five learning centers in Charlotte to provide educational training and drug abuse counseling.[4]
Curry married his college sweetheart Sonya in 1988. They have three children, Stephen, Seth, and Sydel. Stephen is the starting point guard for the Golden State Warriors. While he has been with them, they have won three NBA championships. Stephen is married to Ayesha Curry. Seth currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. He is married to Callie Rivers, sister of current NBA player Austin Rivers and daughter of retired NBA player and current NBA coach Doc Rivers,[13] and his daughter, Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University and is married to NBA player Damion Lee.[14] In 2018, Sydel was featured on Say Yes to the Dress.[15]
On August 23, 2021, Curry and his wife, Sonya, announced that they were divorcing after 33 years of marriage.[16]
References[]
- ^ Whelliston, Kyle (December 20, 2006). "Ex-NBA shooter's son is star frosh at Davidson". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
- ^ "Charlotte Hornets Career Leaders". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 25 June 2015.
- ^ a b Dell Curry, Steph’s Dad: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
- ^ a b c Sumner, Jim (Dec 5, 2007). "Virginia Tech's Dell Curry". Looking Back... Atlantic Coast Conference. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
- ^ "Player Bio". NBA.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ^ "Hall of Fame - Virginia Tech Athletics". HokieSports.com. Virginia Tech Athletics. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- ^ Dell Curry NBA Stats
- ^ "Dell Curry". Class of 2004. Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ Dell Curry steps down as Bobcats assistant coach.
- ^ Monagan, Matt (February 1, 2021). "When Muggsy Bogues played pro baseball". MLB.com. Major League Baseball. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- ^ "Dell Curry Minor Leagues Statistics & History". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
- ^ "Christian Montessori classrooms for infants & Pre-school in Huntersville, NC". Christian Montessori School at Lake Norman | Toddler through 6th Grade in Huntersville, NC. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ "Sources: Blazers, Seth Curry agree on contract". ESPN.com. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- ^ "Sydel Curry - Women's Volleyball". Elon University Athletics. Retrieved 2019-03-20.
- ^ "Watch: Ayesha Curry help sister-in-law Sydel Curry find her perfect 'sexy' wedding dress". The Mercury News. 29 December 2018. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ Mizoguchi, Karen; Leonard, Elizabeth (23 August 2021). "Stephen Curry's Parents Sonya and Dell Curry to Divorce After 33 Years of Marriage". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 24 August 2021.
External links[]
- Dell Curry on Twitter
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
- Virginia Tech Hall of Fame bio
- NBA.com profile
- NBA.com player bio
- 1964 births
- Living people
- African-American basketball players
- African-American Christians
- All-American college men's basketball players
- American expatriate basketball people in Canada
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Charlotte, North Carolina
- Basketball players from Virginia
- Charlotte Bobcats announcers
- Charlotte Hornets expansion draft picks
- Charlotte Hornets players
- Cleveland Cavaliers players
- Curry family
- Gastonia Rangers players
- McDonald's High School All-Americans
- Milwaukee Bucks players
- Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
- People from Grottoes, Virginia
- People from Harrisonburg, Virginia
- Shooting guards
- Toronto Raptors players
- Utah Jazz players
- Utah Jazz draft picks
- Virginia Tech Hokies baseball players
- Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball players