Stephen Curry was predestined to play the game following the footsteps of his father, Dell Curry. It is natural to assume that Steph would have derived many of the qualities we admire in his game persona from his dad. However, his mother Sonya Curry reveals that some of the Golden State Warriors star’s finer qualities came from her. That includes the way Steph never gives up on anyone, or anything for that matter — be it a championship mission or a person, or more importantly, himself.
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“[Steph is] very compassionate. He wants to see the best out of everyone and he never gives up on anyone. He’s always like,’You can do it.’ So that’s just like me. Like I am a nurturer by nature and I just want people to just believe in themselves. So I think he gets that from me,” the 58-year-old told host Vickery Smith on the Got It From My Mommapodcast.
Sonya has been around the NBA for almost four decades. Her tryst began as a supportive partner to Hornets legend and her ex-husband Dell through his 16-year NBA career that ended in 2001. She returned to the stands eight years later, cheering for Steph on his debut season in 2009. She doubled up on that duty when her younger son Seth entered the league in 2013.
However, Sonya’s influence, like how any mother’s would be, began during Steph’s formative years, much before the NBA.
Her unshakeable belief in him made Steph rise from being just an undersized guard at Davidson College. Back then, he had little hope of making it big in the NBA. Sonya forged a tenacious mindset in Steph that has seen him leave behind the unassuming college days to become the greatest guard of his generation, if not in league history.
He carries a tenacity that is an hallmark of Sonya. It is that indomitable spirit that saw Steph overcome the slew of ankle injuries that threatened to derail things early in his career. Not to mention the many other challenges that has come his way.
Steph once revealed the best advice his mother gave him
During his days in AAU basketball, Steph, like most kids his age, felt the weight of every loss and would ponder obsessively over them. After his team suffered a heavy loss, the guard was distraught with his performance, labelling it ‘unacceptable’.
While he was beating himself up over it, Sonya came up with an advice that changed his outlook. Steph recalled and reflected on the moment during an interaction with The Players’ Tribune:
“[My mother told me,’] Steph, I’m only going to tell you this one time. After that, this basketball dream….. it’s going to be what it’s going to be. But here’s what I’ll say: NO ONE gets to write your story but you. Not some scouts. Not some tournament. Not these other kids, who might do this better or that better. And not EVER your last name. None of those people, and none of those things, gets to be the author of your story. Just you.”
Those words removed the figurative shackles off Steph. He stopped giving too much credence to losses, injuries, and dismal performances. And, over the years, he has shaped his unique legacy in the game on his terms. The four-time NBA champion credits Sonya for that, and more.
