Stephen Curry comes from a highly athletic family. Just like him, his father, Dell Curry, was a professional basketball star, and his younger brother, Seth is also playing basketball at the professional level. Meanwhile, Seth’s wife, Callie Rivers, is a former professional volleyball player while her father, Doc Rivers, is a former NBA player-turned coach.
On the other hand, Stephen’s mother, Sonya Alicia Curry played volleyball, track and field, and basketball in high school, and later stuck with volleyball in college. The only daughter of the family, Sydel Curry, also played volleyball in high school and college but sadly, a knee injury shattered her dreams of playing professionally.
Athleticism apparently is a physical characteristic that runs deep into one’s genes, thus when an individual is blessed with it, chances are high that one or more members of their family would exhibit the same. In this regard, America has over the years seen the rise of many sporting families from the Boones to the Mannings, the Williams sisters, and more.
In recent years, one particular sporting family that has generated much attention is Stephen Curry’s family. History traced their athletic abilities down to Curry’s maternal great-great-great-grandfather – Wesley Snell.
With the point guard’s rising popularity (beginning with his impressive 2015 NBA Championship win), came an increasing interest in his life beyond his exploits on the hardwood floor. Here is an in-depth look at his athletic family background.
Stephen Curry’s Fact Card
The Sporting Exploits Of Stephen Curry’s Parents
During their heydays, both of Stephen Curry’s parents were sporting stars in their own right. His father Dell Curry left his footprints in the sands of National Basketball Association (NBA) time playing as a shooting guard for 5 different NBA teams. His career began in 1986 after he was selected by the Utah Jazz as the 15th pick in the 1st round of the year’s draft. His first-round pick at the NBA draft was to be expected thanks to his impressive high school and college stats.
The senior Curry’s flair for sports began at Fort Defiance High School in Virginia where he was active as both a basketball and baseball player even winning state championships in both sports. Dell Curry could have easily gone ahead to become a professional baseball player straight from high school as the Texas Rangers selected him in the 1982 MLB draft, however, he forwent the opportunity and chose to attend college. At Fort Defiance he held the record of the all-time leading scorer.
Dell played college basketball for 4 years for the Hokies of Virginia Tech where his skills improved by the year. He also continued to play college baseball and attracted the attention of the MLB’s Baltimore Orioles who selected him in the 1985 draft, but it would become the second time that Dell Curry turned down an offer to play professional baseball.
At Virginia Tech, Curry held records in both basketball and baseball. He was the all-time leader in steals and second all-time leader in points scored. Virginia Tech retired his No 3 jersey and in 1996 in his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Virginia Tech’s Hall of Fame.
Dell Curry played only for a single season each for the Utah Jazz and the Cleveland Cavaliers respectively before the then-newly created Charlotte Hornets selected him in the 1988 expansion draft. Curry would spend a decade playing as a shooting guard for the Hornets where he regularly came off the bench and was notable for his long-range shooting abilities – his son Stephen Curry in his own time, also became known for his three-pointers. Dell scored 9,839 points for the Hornets to become her all-time leading scorer.
Upon leaving the team in 1998, he was the last remaining of the team’s inaugural squad. He played briefly for the Milwaukee Bucks before wrapping up his career playing for the Toronto Raptors for three years from 1999 to 2002 when he finally hung his boots. These days, he works as a color commentator. He passed up an opportunity to coach an NBA team so he could be available to fully support his son Stephen in his NBA career.
Although Steph Curry’s mother Sonya Alicia Curry (nee Adams) unlike his father, did not make it to professional sports, she was an outstanding athlete both in high school and at college. In the former, she competed in volleyball, track and field, and basketball while in the latter, she played volleyball helping to make the sports popular at Virginia Tech. Her sister India Adams (Curry’s aunt) excelled in basketball both in high school and college. It was at Virginia Tech that Steph Curry’s parents met. Sonya who founded the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman (a school which all her kids attended) is a professional educator.
Dell and Sonya got married in 1988. They had their 1st child – Wardell Stephen Curry II on March 14th, 1988, followed by Seth Adham Curry on August 23rd, 1990, and lastly Sydell Curry on 20th October 1994. As of our last review, the couple has 4 grandchildren. They are the trio of Riley Elizabeth Curry (born July 19, 2012), Ryan Carson Curry (born July 10, 2015), and Canon W. Jack Curry (born July 2, 2018) from Stephen Curry’s family (his wife is Ayesha Curry). While Carter Lynn Curry (born May 9, 2018) was born by Seth and his wife Callie Curry.
Sonya in a 2013 interview with Hollywood Life revealed that she and Dell never wanted their kids to feel pressured into playing sports and did not let them play competitively until they got to middle school. In the end, all of their kids proved to be chips off the old block.
Seth Curry’s Less-dazzling NBA Career
With great admiration for his older brother, Seth Curry has been working hard to remain relevant in the NBA. As a young kid, Seth and his brother Stephen often attended their father’s NBA games and would practice with his teammates. Like his brother Steph, Seth began his career at their mother’s Charlotte Christian School where he was a 3-year starter. He graduated in 2008 and the following year, he was part of the US basketball squad that won gold at the 2009 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
Seth Curry began his college career at Liberty University wearing the number 30 jersey that was worn both by his father and brother during their college years. Averaging 20.2 a game as a freshman, Seth led all freshmen nationally. As a freshman, he also set a new scoring record at the Big South Conference. After one season at Liberty, Seth Curry transferred to Duke University. His career-high 31 points came in his senior year in 2012.
Unfortunately, Seth Curry was not selected by any team in the 2013 NBA draft, as a result, he entered the NBA Developmental League where he got to hone his skills playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors. Curry would spend the next two years in the D-league, frequently hopping from one short stint to another.
His hard work paid off when in July 2015, he signed his first NBA contract with the Sacramento Kings worth $2 million for 2 years. He only spent one season at the club before opting to become a free agent. He next signed with the Dallas Mavericks in 2016. He played next for the Portland Trail Blazers after getting signed in 2018. With the Blazers, he got to play competitively for the first time against his brother Stephen in the 2019 Playoffs where Stephen’s Warriors won. Seth in July 2019 returned to the Mavericks after inking a 4-year contract.
With Seth’s marriage to former pro volleyball player, Callie Rivers the Curry family might well have third-generation basketball players – Seth’s father-in-law is Doc Rivers, an NBA coach and former player whose son Austin Rivers is also an NBA player.
Sydel Curry’s Volleyball Achievements
The last child of the Curry family Sydel Curry also got some athletic genes passed on to her. She followed in her mother’s footsteps to play varsity volleyball. Like her brothers, she began exploring her sporting talents at Charlotte Christian School where she was a 4-year starter. As the captain of her team, Sydel led her team to the state quarterfinals for 3 seasons. The team was particularly outstanding in the 2012 season when they set a new school record for the most wins in a single season. Sydel also played for the Carolina Union volleyball club.
After high school, she chose to attend Elon University. However, her debut season was marred by a knee injury, however, she came back with a bang to become an important member of the team. In her collegiate career, Sydel who played as a setter played in a total of 81 matches and made 2,381 assists – the 8th highest in the school’s history. 1,170 of those assists were made in the 2015 season which placed her 5th highest in a single season.
Sydel Curry had wanted to go on to play professionally but a knee injury crushed her dreams as she was forced to retire in 2017 forgoing what would have become her 5th playing year. She earned a degree in Psychology in May 2017. She is passionate about mental health awareness and hosts a Facebook show where she interviews family members of celebrities. Sydel like her brother Seth seems to be right on track to building the next generation of Curry athletes – she married NBA star Damion Lee on September 1, 2018.
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