Stephen Curry is, without a doubt, one of the most influential NBA players ever. Not only did his three-point shooting change the NBA’s landscape, but his mannerisms and celebrations are some of the most imitated worldwide. One such mannerism is the 2-time MVP’s habit of chewing on his mouthguard, something that has become as iconic as his shimmy celebration.
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In 2015, Steph appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live to explain where his iconic habit came from. Curry explained to the comedian how he started wearing the mouthguard originally to protect his face after he got hit by an opponent’s elbow in college.
He joked about how, despite its protective features, he was unable to keep it inside his mouth, and always ended up chewing on it every game.
“Definitely a habit. I got elbowed in college, my junior year, and it kind of busted my lip open. so I wore a mouthpiece after that every single game, and then every year it’s kind of gotten farther and farther away from my teeth.”
Unfortunately for Curry, his easy access to his mouthguard ended up costing him quite a lot of money. He’s developed the habit of throwing the guard whenever he’s angry, and over his career, it’s resulted in a fair few fines.
Stephen Curry’s mouthguard-related fines
While playing a regular season game against the Grizzlies in 2017, Curry was attempting to draw a foul while driving to the basket. The referees didn’t agree with him, and in frustration, he threw the mouthguard. It ended up hitting one of the refs, and Steph was ejected immediately and was later fined $50k.
Interestingly, he incurred a fine after throwing his mouthguard against the Grizzlies in 2023 as well. In a hotly contested game between the Warriors and the Grizzlies in Jan that year, Steph threw his guard into the crowd. Though the Dubs went on to win that game 122-120, the NBA fined him $25k.
Stephen Curry has been fined $25,000 for throwing his mouth guard in the fourth quarter of the last game against the Grizzlies, the NBA announced.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) January 28, 2023
Perhaps the worst possible incident occurred during the infamous 2016 NBA Finals. After picking up his 6th personal in game 6, Curry was told by the officials to walk off, as he had fouled out. In frustration, he threw his mouthguard into the stands, which immediately gave the refs grounds to eject him. The Warriors were down 8 at the time, and would eventually lose the game.
He did have an explanation for the incident though, and simply said, “I want to talk and I can’t talk with a mouthpiece in.”
Steph certainly knows the cons of his habit of chewing on his mouth guard, and his mother has also had her say in the matter. When asked about her son’s habit of chewing on his mouthpiece during games for an interview with Sports Illustrated, she dejectedly admitted, “I’ve given up. I’ve made my peace with it. It’s never going to change. He still bites his fingernails. He flicks his nose, from all his allergies. And the mouth guard.”
Steph’s mouthguard is so iconic, he made a signature shoe for it
The point guard signed a 10-year extension with UA in 2023, meaning the brand would work closely with Steph even after his retirement. As a follow-up to that extension, they came up with a limited edition of his Curry 11 and Curry Retro 1 shoe, called the ‘Mouthguard pack.’
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The colorway was blue and white, with dimples across the shoes to recreate the feeling and look of the NBA’s most essential accessory. Both hoop shoes were set to drop on April Fool’s Day, as a nod to Stephen’s inner prankster and love for joking around, especially when it comes to his mouthguard.
