Curry’s height prevented him from getting scholarships to preferred schools

Being 6-foot-2 hasn’t stopped Steph Curry from dominating the NBA the last decade. Still, his father thinks there was potential for more.

Curry’s father, former NBA guard Dell Curry, is 6-foot-5. Dell pointed out his son’s height during a recent episode of their Audible podcast, “Heat Check with Stephen and Dell Curry.”

“You were always the smallest, shortest, skinniest kid on all your teams, from 6 years old, 6th grade and all the way up, and I (attribute) that to your mother,” Dell said in the episode.

Steph’s mother, Dell’s ex-wife, is 5-foot-3. Curry’s parents first met at Virginia Tech, where Dell played basketball and Sonya played volleyball. They got married in 1988 and had three children. However, the couple announced their divorce in 2021 after 33 years of marriage.

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, second from right, looks to pass the ball as Portland Trail Blazers forward Jabari Walker, second from left, and forward Jerami Grant, right, defend during the second half of a game in Portland, Ore., Dec. 17, 2023.  (AP Photo/Steve Dykes)

Dell began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz after being selected with the 15th pick in the 1986 draft, but he was most known for his 10-year stint with the Charlotte Hornets, where he won sixth man of the year in 1994.

Despite the three inches Dell had on Steph, the younger Curry had the superior basketball career by a wide margin. However, Steph’s height did pose some barriers early on.

At Charlotte Christian High School in North Carolina, Steph was named all-conference and all-state and led his team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances. But he had a hard time getting a scholarship for basketball because of his height. At the time, he hadn’t even grown into his 6-foot-2 frame.

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The Golden State Warriors’ Ian Clark, left, and Stephen Curry, right, carry the Larry O’Brien Trophy during the Golden State Warriors’ NBA championship parade and rally in Oakland, Calif., June 15, 2017.  (Joel Angel Juarez/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

Steph wanted to play at Virginia Tech like his father but was only offered a walk-on spot, partially due to his slender 160-pound frame at the time. He turned that offer down and instead stayed in North Carolina to play at Davidson.

Curry has said his size disadvantage is what motivated him to put in extra work to become a stronger player.

“The physicality deficiencies I had early, and, you know, there was always just an encouragement to just work, figure it out, build confidence as you go,” Steph told Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett during a November 2023 edition of their “Smartless” podcast.

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Stephen Curry of the U.S. hugs his mother, Sonya Curry, after his team’s victory against France in the men’s gold medal game at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena Aug. 10, 2024, in Paris. (Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

“It’s kind of forced upon you just by that’s all you’re in … you’re in a gym all the time. You develop a love for it.”

Steph became the NCAA scoring leader by his junior year at Davidson in 2008-09 and was named a consensus first-team All-American.

He was then drafted higher than his father with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors, with whom he’s won four NBA titles and two NBA MVP awards. Curry won his first Olympic gold medal with an elite shooting performance for the U.S. in the Paris Olympics earlier this month.