Early in Stephen Curry’s basketball journey, very few people believed that he’d make it to the NBA. Today, the thought seems ridiculous because he has single-handedly revolutionized the game while becoming one of the greatest players of all time in the process. However, back then, he was just a skinny young kid with big dreams.
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Even his own father, former NBA star Dell Curry, wasn’t sure the league was on the cards for Steph. During an appearance on The Pure Athlete Podcast in 2023, Dell spoke on Steph’s journey.
The proud father recalled being told by Bob McKillop, the former head coach of the Davidson Wildcats, that Steph could make money playing basketball in the future. Steph played for Davidson from 2006 to 2009. Even though Dell was supportive of Steph’s NBA dreams, he didn’t think it was guaranteed.
So, when he heard McKillop make a positive prediction, he thought that the money would come in by playing in some European league. He said, “After Stephen’s freshman year, Bob McKillop and I had a conversation. He goes, ‘Hey, your son is going to make some money playing this game.’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, okay, maybe. Is it in Europe?”
Dell credits McKillop for a lot of his son’s success. He believes that young Steph was molded into the player he is today by the former Davidson coach.
In his freshman year, Steph averaged 21.5 points per game with 4.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He shot over 46% from the field and over 40% from the three-point line. These numbers were early indicators for McKillop that Steph was going to have a good career in the NBA. In the next two years, the Davidson star further improved his game.
He averaged 25.9 points and 28.6 points in the next two seasons. McKillop was right. Steph was ready for the NBA. He entered the 2009 draft with some hype around his shooting skills and was the seventh pick by the Warriors. The rest is history.
Even though Steph made it into the NBA, no one thought he’d become what he is today. From being touted as a good player to becoming one of the all-time greats, the greatest shooter the game has ever seen, a four-time NBA Champion, two-time league MVP, and the only unanimous MVP in NBA history. No one could’ve predicted that his career would unfold so spectacularly.
