Stephen Curry’s Pre-Game Tunnel Walk With Daughter Riley Sends Fans Down Nostalgia Lane

Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry brought a special guest for the team’s penultimate regular season game at the Chase Center in San Francisco. The two-time MVP entered the arena with his daughter Riley Curry and the two looked in great spirits as they headed into the locker room area.

Riley, who turned 12 in July, made her onscreen debut in the media’s eye as an adorable three-year-old during the Warriors’ first trip to the Western Conference Finals in the 2014-15 season. She’d tag along with Curry, before causing havoc during press conferences, something that lives rent-free in countless fans’ minds to this day.

Almost nine years have passed since Riley debuted on the podium and she has largely been away from the public eye since the Warriors’ run to the NBA Finals in 2018. Her sudden appearance as a near teenager standing over five feet tall and walking alongside her superstar father left fans on social in disbelief. One fan posted a picture from her debut press conference to showcase how quickly time has passed.

A couple of fans had difficulty computing that Curry’s adorable toddler has grown up.

It’s hard to blame fans for their disbelief at the time that has passed since Riley’s famously hilarious appearance in Curry’s interview. After all, it only feels like yesterday that she was pulling all sorts of shenanigans just to get her father’s attention.

As for Daddy Dearest, it’s worth noting that when Riley debuted in 2015, Curry had just won his first MVP award and was en route to winning his maiden NBA title. Since then, Curry has cemented his status as one of the greatest players in NBA history and is still among the best players in the league. His longevity really has become perhaps his most underrated trait.

Riley’s return was not enough to rally the Warriors to win

Riley Curry accompanying her father to the Chase Center may have been a sweet moment, but the night ended bitterly for the Warriors. Stephen Curry and Co. lost 114-109 to the New Orleans Pelicans and fell back to 10th in the Western Conference standings. The Warriors guard had the chance to send the game to overtime but missed the game-tying shot.

With one game left in the regular season, the Warriors can still climb as high as eighth in the standings. However, they’ll likely have to win two road games in the play-in tournament to earn an entry into the playoffs as the eighth seed. The Warriors have their work cut out and they’ll need Curry to be in top form to bring playoff basketball to the Bay Area in two weeks.