“We had to force Steph Curry to be more selfish in high school!”: Dell Curry told the future Warriors superstar that he didn’t need to be a team player at all times

Steph Curry was such a team player in high school that his dad, Dell Curry, told him that it was unnecessary and he needed to be selfish. 

Steph Curry is the epitome of what a good teammate looks like in a superstar’s body. A singular decision made by him in the summer of 2016 proves just how much of a team player he truly is at heart; this decision was of course Kevin Durant coming to the Golden State Warriors and the reigning 2x MVP taking a backseat to him. 

Curry’s willingness to sacrifice his own touches to help others get better looks or get a feel for the game is quite the unique trait. Unlike guys like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant who were forced to defer to their teammates at the behest of their bench bosses at times, Steph is more than ok to let his other guys shine.

Also read: “That’s still enough space for Steph Curry though!” : JJ Redick points out how Warriors sharpshooter is still in space to shoot despite Celtics bigs moving beyond the arc to defend him

Turns out, this trait of SC30’s isn’t something he picked up while in the NBA. According to his father, former Hornets sharpshooter Dell Curry, he’s been this way ever since his days at Charlotte Christian School. 

Dell Curry on the advice he gave Steph Curry when he was in high school. 

Steph Curry was special from the get-go. During his high school career in Charlotte, he led his squad to three conference titles while also getting them into the state playoffs three times. Despite this, Dell Curry saw that his son wasn’t getting to amount of touches he needed to get as a superstar. 

In an interview prior to Game 2 of the 2022 semis between the Warriors and the Grizzlies, Dell Curry said that he had to tell Steph to be more selfish. 

“He’s carried that trait ever since high school. He always wanted to make sure his teammates were involved, probably too much so. We had to get on him to be more selfish with the ball.” 

Dell Curry: “In high school, we had to get on [Steph] to be more selfish with the ball” 😂 pic.twitter.com/luqP8ZdULx

— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) May 4, 2022

Fast-forward to these 2022 Playoffs, despite having to carry the Warriors all throughout to being a win away from the title, he’s gotten other guys more front-court touches than himself on average. While he averages 26.6 FT touches a game, Draymond Green averages 35.7, Klay Thompson with 33.9, and Andrew Wiggins with 26.9.

Also read: “Steph Curry is already in my company”: Shaq boldly puts Warriors superstar in his echelon of Top 10 players ahead of Game 5 against Celtics