Stephen Curry and Gary Payton II share a great relationship that goes beyond the Chase Center hardcourt. They’ve become partners in crime in the Bay Area over the years, to the point where Curry can’t imagine Dub Nation without GPII. But that might be because Curry wouldn’t have anyone fun to pull his pranks on if he leaves.
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Curry, who strongly insisted on the Warriors re-signing Payton over the off-season, recently decided to play a savage trick on his friend. He called the 32-year-old up and told him that a fan wanted his autograph.
Now, that wasn’t a lie on it’s own. But what Curry asked the fan to do when Payton arrived was truly shocking. It was arguably, the highlight moment of the Dubs’ open practice in San Francisco earlier this week.
Curry appeared to whisper something into the fan’s ear just moments before GPII made his way to the courtside seat where the fan was standing. Upon arriving, he was greeted with a middle finger!
Steph made this fan pretend to ask Gary Payton II for an autograph just to flip him off
(via josephbangalan / IG, h/t @TheWarriorsTalk)pic.twitter.com/2rtTTyZKqF
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 11, 2025
That was enough to make anyone lose their cool, maybe even lash out and have the fan thrown out of the arena. However, video clips suggest that GPII quickly sensed something was off, as he soon broke into laughter.
Then came Curry, unable to hide his glee, and the two ended up taking a photo together. Curry even handed his accomplice a signed shoe to take home, though the memory he created was worth far more.
In all fairness, chances of a fan flipping Payton out in Bay Area are next to none. He’s one of the most loved figures in the Warriors locker room, and also among the fanbase, and was instrumental in their 2022 Championship run. That said, chances of Steph pranking another teammate? Not so slim.
Steph Curry’s friends aren’t safe from him
Curry’s best friend Chris Strachan, better known as COSeezy, surely knows what a joker the four-time NBA champion can be. But even he couldn’t have predicted what was coming when Curry called him over to help promote a car.
The Warriors icon told Strachan he needed feedback on a design he had created for Infiniti. When Strachan arrived, he was greeted by a hideous-looking two-seater that seemed straight out of a futuristic Tom & Jerry cartoon.
Still, a confused Strachan played along, offering over-the-top compliments for what was actually a setup. Curry even had to cover his face to keep from laughing. It wasn’t until hours later that he finally told COSeezy they had just been pulling his leg.
Brutal, but hilarious. Curry can make others dance on the court with his skills, and also to his humorous tune off it.
