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As a self-proclaimed homebody, the only box outside of a Warriors win Steph Curry had to check in his yearly trip to Charlotte this season was seeing his family.
Catching up with his brother, Seth, and his father, Dell, before and after the Warriors’ eventual 18-point win against the 14-win Charlotte Hornets on Monday night already was a guarantee. All three were going to be in the same building.
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Their workplace for the night was the Spectrum Center – Steph being an employee of the opposition but assured to receive MVP chants, and Dell and Seth working for the home team. Dad is a color commentator watching his youngest son wear the same number for the same team he once played a decade for, winning Sixth Man of the Year in 1994. They all know who the star of the show is anyplace he goes.
Curry’s homecoming was about more than the three of them. Home is sights, smells and tastes as much as people and places. What’s new and what remains. What’s inevitable, like a man making more than $55 million craving biscuits from a drive-through. A time machine of comfort.
“The first stop was Bojangles yesterday,” Curry admitted to a group of reporters Monday at Warriors shootaround.
Everywhere Curry goes, love from fans follows him. Almost to a godly degree. The way he connects to people is more Beatles-like than MJ-like. He captivates a crowd, and he’s also the same guy who was just another cringy college kid wearing plaid shorts and rapping about The Commons from little Davidson College where Curry’s legend began in the national spotlight almost 20 years ago.
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About 30 to 35 people were at the game under Curry’s invitation. Countless others came to watch him play.
Of course Curry’s college coach Bob McKillop was there. They connected before the game, and Curry posed for pictures with a handful of Davidson student-athletes. This wasn’t a group of players from the men’s basketball team, though. It was a handful of Curry scholars, female athletes that are part of an opportunity the Currys created through a scholarship. All are non-basketball players.
Monday wasn’t Curry’s first trip back against the team he grew up watching his dad play for. Barring outside circumstances, it won’t be his last either. The day served as a reminder for Curry to stay in the moment, on a day it was impossible not to look back.
The entire season has carried a new sentimental value for Curry, matching Dell’s career of 16 years in the NBA. Dell was the blueprint for Steph, whose real goal growing up was to achieve the longevity of his father well before any realities of All-Star Games, MVPs and Olympic gold were even worth dreaming of.
“It gives me perspective of obviously how long I've been in the league,” Curry said. “This is my 16th year, which is a milestone for the family, knowing my dad played this many years. It was always a goal of mine to get here, so it's kind of a cool reflection to be in your 16th year and playing in Charlotte playing against your brother and dad's up in the booth.”
Curry scored 21 points in 30 minutes, going 6 of 14 from the field, 3 of 9 on 3-pointers and 6 of 8 at the free-throw line. Taking it back to college and channeling his best Jason Richards impression, Curry showcased his pure point guard package, dishing nine assists in the first half and 10 overall for his second straight double-double. There wasn’t a Curry flurry in waiting, scoring seven points in the first quarter, four in the second and 10 in the third as his scoring wasn’t called for in the four minutes of the fourth quarter he played.
The closest such case happened in a hurry with a little over three minutes left in the third quarter. Curry after making two free throws, stole a bad pass from LaMelo Ball under the basket, pushed it down the court and in one motion swung a pass to Gui Santos in the right corner, sprinted off a screen, caught a pass back from Santos at the right wing, tossed up a triple and admired it mid-air bouncing on one foot with the other kicking out like a rhythmic dance.
Local sounds of J Cole, DaBaby, Anthony Hamilton and Petey Pablo were heard from the Warriors’ speakers at team shootaround. An abundance of hugs, laughs, pictures and admiration followed Curry before, during and after the Warriors’ win. The same can be said for every game Curry plays, home or away.
Home is different. In this special Year 16, emotions are only amplified.
“All of that fills my cup up, for sure, just being back home and seeing all my familiar faces – people that have been a part of the journey from the jump,” Curry said.
Deep down, he always will be rooting for the Hornets in games he doesn’t have to go against them. Curry still wears his Carolina Panthers colors proud, despite what kind of season they’re having, and his Davidson pride knows no bounds.
The Bay is Curry’s home now. He’s adopted the region, and the area always will claim him as their own. Curry as well as any superstar also knows who he is, where he was shaped and by which people. There’s no replacing home, for good or bad, making the few basketball memories he has left in Charlotte that much more meaningful.