NBA superstar Stephen Curry has become world-renowned for his three-point shooting prowess and four championships, leading the Golden State Warriors in one of the most prolific dynasties in recent sports memory.
However, Curry is also a major fan, perhaps the most famous, of the NFL‘s Carolina Panthers. The league’s all-time three-point leader grew up in the Charlotte, North Carolina area because his father, Dell Curry, played on the Charlotte Hornets, and since his childhood, he has been a devout follower of the Panthers, despite their lack of championship success since entering the NFL in 1995.
But in what could be a major update on his plans once his NBA career does end, Nick Friedell of The Athletic discussed the interest in the Panthers with Curry, his brother and now teammate Seth, and father Dell. Perhaps most interestingly, Curry talked about potential interest in joining the ownership group of the franchise down the road.
“If it makes sense,” Steph told Friedell. “It’s not on my life plan right now, but it is something that, with the right opportunity, the right partner, I know Dave Tepper’s running the ship right now. At this point, I guess the long story short, yes, but who knows what’s down the road.”
Curry, age 37, is in his 17th season in the NBA. Despite his status as one of the oldest players in the league, he is putting in an All-NBA level campaign with 28.7 points per game for the Warriors, while they struggle to move up in the Western Conference standings, in what is expected to be one of the last seasons of his illustrious career.
Steph Curry’s Interest In The Carolina Panthers
In his article on the Curry family’s long-term involvement in the Panthers, Friedell detailed the number of games both Steph and Seth’s families have attended since father Dell gained PSL (personal seat licenses) for multiple tickets since the 1990s.
“The Charlotte banner is one both Steph and his younger brother and Warriors teammate Seth carry with honor,” Friedell wrote. “They take pride in the fact that they are lifelong Panthers fans. That they’ve been going to the games for almost the entirety of their lives.”
Despite the relative lack of success for the Panthers, barring their appearances in Super Bowls XXXVIII (38) and L (50), the Curry family remains diehard fans of the NFC South franchise.
“I remember in ’95, they were playing in South Carolina, before the stadium was built in downtown Charlotte,” Curry said of his favorite NFL team. “I’ve been a lifelong fan ever since.”
Most recently, Curry was asked about the team’s upcoming Week 18 matchup against their rival, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, by Charlotte reporter Scott Fowler. If the Panthers win or tie, they’ll clinch their first playoff appearance since 2017, and their first divisional title since 2015.
“I’ve been rooting for them all year from the West Coast,” Curry said to Fowler. “Been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I’m excited you still control your destiny, (they’ll) hopefully get it done. I’ll obviously be watching, locked in.”
With quarterback Bryce Young and rookie sensation Tetairoa McMillan at wide receiver, the Panthers have an 8-8 record heading into the final week of the season.
Steph Curry Receives Honor From Alma Mater
At the same time Curry revealed his interest in owning a piece of the Carolina Panthers down the road, he was given an honor dating back to another point earlier in his life.
Most recently, Curry had an honorary highway exit named after him by his alma mater, Davidson College, located outside the Charlotte metro area.
“What was long known as Exit 30 to Davidson College is officially recognized as ‘Stephen Curry Interchange,’“ James Jackson wrote for The Athletic. “The moment is another example of how the school’s most decorated athlete remains adored by the place he helped put on the map.”
Curry’s most famous moments at Davidson came in the 2008 men’s college basketball March Madness tournament, where he helped bring both himself and the small school of about 2,000 students to national prominence. Curry also became the first player in the program’s history to have his number retired in 2022, and the new renaming of Exit 30 is just another example of his impact on the Charlotte area community, despite the fact that he’s never been a member of the Hornets.
Curry’s impact on the sport of basketball is impossible to ignore, with his shooting ability changing the way kids, and adults for that matter, look at the game. It’s unknown how serious the 6’3” guard was about joining the Panthers’ ownership group, but with the more than $500 million he will make on his NBA contracts by the time he retires, as well as his impact on the city, it isn’t the craziest idea to fathom.
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