by Ben Leibowitz

Facts About Superstar Stephen Curry

NBA superstar Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors has taken the sport of basketball by storm. Whether you gape in awe while watching the sharpshooter drain three-pointers from different area codes or are in the camp of league legends like Oscar Robertson who belittle his success, Curry no doubt gets a conversation going.

The former Davidson College star is well on his way to attaining his second MVP award in 2016, and potentially a second championship ring as well. As the Dubs continue their march toward the playoffs, the PointAfter team compiled 30 stats-driven facts about No. 30.

Note: Stats referenced come courtesy of Basketball Reference and the Davidson Men's Basketball Media Guide.

2,976 Three-Pointers (and counting...)

Stephen Curry became the all-time career 3-point field goals leader in NBA history, surpassing Ray Allen who was at Madison Square Garden to watch it happen in person. The Golden State Warriors star guard became the all-time leader in 3-pointers on Tuesday night (December 14, 2021) in a 105-96 win over the New York Knicks. Curry's 2,974th 3-pointer of his career came with 7:33 to go in the first quarter.

NBA Hall of Famer Ray Allen had held 3-point field goals record since passing Indiana Pacers great Reggie Miller in 2011. Reggie Miller was also at the game.

2 MVPs

Curry took home league MVP honors for the 2014-15 season after guiding the Warriors to a franchise-best 67-win season.

Interestingly, his averages of 23.8 points and 7.7 assists per game were actually slight statistical dips from the year prior, and he averaged the same number of rebounds (4.3) compared to the season before. Nevertheless, Golden State's team dominance with Curry as the best player propelled him to Most Valuable Player honors.

The following season (2015-16), he became the first player in NBA history to be elected MVP by a unanimous vote.

3 NBA Championships

Following the individual accomplishment of winning MVP, Curry and the Warriors went on to win the organization's first title in 40 years against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the NBA Finals, Curry averaged 26 points, 6.3 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals. It was his teammate, Andre Iguodala, however, who took home Finals MVP for his defense against LeBron James and for averaging 16.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists.

After dropping Games 2 and 3, Golden State won three straight to take the season's final series, 4-2.

The Warriors broke the record for the most wins in an NBA regular season (2015-16) en route to reaching the 2016 NBA Finals, which they lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in seven games. Curry helped the Warriors return to the NBA Finals in 2017, 2018 and 2019, winning back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018, before being defeated by the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

NBA 75th Anniversary Team

The NBA 75th Anniversary Team was chosen in 2021 to honor the 75th anniversary of the founding of the NBA. Steph Curry is one of 11 players (Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook) active during the NBA 2021–22 season, when the list was announced.

7x NBA All-Star

Through seven professional seasons thus far, "The Baby-Faced Assassin" has made three All-Star teams. Each time, Curry's been voted in as an All-Star starter by the fans.

In his three career All-Star Games, Curry's averaged 17.7 points. His first two go-arounds in the midseason showcase didn't exactly show off his skills, as he shot 5-of-21 from beyond the arc combined (23.8 percent).

2x All-American

While in school at Davidson College, Curry was twice named an All-American. He earned a Second-Team selection in 2008, and a First-Team honor the following season as a junior (his final year at Davidson).

According to Sports Reference, Curry is the only player in Davidson history to be named an All-American.

2 FIBA World Cup Gold Medals

Playing internationally in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, a competition among men's national teams, Curry has twice taken home gold medals for his contributions.

The United States ousted Turkey in Turkey, 81-64, to win gold back in 2010. Four years later, Curry earned his second gold medal for the U.S. in Spain, after the Americans clobbered Serbia, 129-92, in the Finals.

5x Three-Point Shootout Contestant (1x Champ)

Although Curry has competed in the Three-Point Shootout at All-Star Weekend five times, he's only won the event once. This is truly shocking given how talented he is from beyond the arc.

That happened back in 2015, when Curry reached the final round and faced off against former three-point champ Kyrie Irving as well as teammate and fellow "Splash Brother," Klay Thompson. Curry posted a ridiculous score of 27 after Irving scored 17 points.

That score put a ton of pressure on Thompson, who only scored 14 points, crowning Steph in the process.

6 NBA Players from Davidson

Curry is one of six players who suited up collegiately at Davidson to make it into the NBA, joining Dick Snyder, Fred Hetzel, Mike Maloy, Brandon Williams and Rod Knowles.

Of the six, Snyder has played the most NBA games (964). However, his career averages of 12.2 points, 2.9 assists and 2.8 rebounds as a pro can't even hold a candle to Curry's career averages.

As a former MVP and NBA champion, Curry is quite clearly the best NBA player to come out of Davidson.

6 Games with 40+ Points (College)

During his career as a Davidson Wildcat, Curry compiled six games scoring 40 or more points -- a school record.

Former Davidson Wildcat Fred Hetzel, who played for the college from 1962-65, ranks second in the category with four such games.

No. 7 Overall Draft Pick

During the 2009 NBA Draft, it was unclear where Curry would land. Various scouting reports dinged the Davidson product for his "average athleticism," "average size" and the fact that he relies too heavily on his outside shot, per a New York Post article by Fred Kerber.

In an advertisement for CoachUp, Curry reads a 2009 draft report that stated, among other things, "He will have limited success at the next level," and, "Do not rely on him to run your team."

It appeared as if the Minnesota Timberwolves would take Curry with either their No. 5 or No. 6 pick, but then-president of basketball operations David Kahn drafted Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn, respectively. The Warriors nabbed Curry at No. 7 overall, and, as they say, the rest is history.

9 Three-Pointers in a Single Game (College)

Back on Nov. 21, 2006, when Curry was a freshman at Davidson, he drained nine three-pointers (a school record) against unassuming Colby College. Almost exactly a year later, on Nov. 26, 2007, Curry cashed in on nine three-pointers against Appalachian State.

Neither opponent was a powerhouse, but Curry's nine threes in a single game is a Wildcats record that still stands.

12 Three-Pointers in a Single Game (NBA)

In one of the best regular season games in recent memory (perhaps in the discussion for best regular season game ever), Curry tied an NBA record by converting 12 threes in an overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Feb. 27, 2016.

Though he made them all look effortless, none was more exciting or impressive than the 32-foot game-winner he sunk at then end of overtime to put Golden State up 121-118.

30 Games with 30+ Points (College)

In addition to holding the Davidson record for most games scoring 40 points or more (six), Curry also sits atop Davidson's record books as far as games scoring 30 points or more, with 30.

If you want to take it one step further, Curry also holds the team record for consecutive games scoring 20 or more points. He scored at least 20 in 19 straight contests during the 2008-09 season.

32.4 Player Efficiency Rating

With a player efficiency rating (PER) of 32.4 through 59 games played during the 2015-16 season, Curry is on track to post the best single-season PER of all time.

That's better than NBA legends Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

41.2 Percent from Three-Point Range (College)

Throughout his college career at Davidson, Curry converted 41.2 percent of his three-point tries. And while that mark is no doubt impressive, it doesn't earn top honors in school history (minimum of 120 makes).

As a matter of fact, "Chef Curry" ranks third on Davidson's all-time list for three-point percentage. Ahead of him are Derek Rucker (44.5 percent) who played for the Wildcats from 1984-88, and Peter Anderer (43.4 percent) who played from 1999-2003.

How's that for a fun stat Rucker and Anderer can tell their grandkids some day?

45.9 Percent from Three-Point Range

Curry's 45.9 percent conversion rate from beyond the arc in 2015-16 is the best mark in a single season in his career. When you account for volume (Curry is taking three more threes per contest than other season prior), it's truly astounding that Curry has been able to maintain such accuracy.

His previous high in a season was 45.5 percent back in 2011-12, but he played just 26 games that year due to ankle injuries.

54 Points in a Single Game (NBA)

On Feb. 27, 2013, Curry posted a career high with 54 points in a game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

It's honestly rather difficult to believe that Curry's career high is "only" 54 points, provided he's made an NBA record 12 three-pointers in a single game, but that's where he stands.

In this particular game against New York, Curry went 18-of-28 shooting overall, 7-of-15 from three-point territory and 11-of-13 from the charity stripe.

86 Single-Season Steals (College)

During his junior season at Davidson, Curry swiped 86 steals over the course of 34 games (2.5 steals per contest).

His 86 pickpockets in a single season, you guessed it, stands as a Davidson school record.

It's no secret that Curry and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr enjoy facing off in post-practice free throw shooting contests. Kerr was no slouch at the charity stripe during his playing days. Though he didn't shoot many -- he missed out on joining the exclusive 50-40-90 club in 1996 because he didn't shoot enough free throws to qualify -- he made 86.4 percent of his free attempts throughout his career.

Curry's prowess at the line is much more profound. By shooting 90.12 percent from the charity stripe, Curry ranks No. 3 all time behind Steve Nash (90.43 percent) and Mark Price (90.39 percent). If he really locks in for the remainder of his career, Curry has a chance to finish with the top spot.

162 Three-Pointers (College)

During Curry's sophomore season at Davidson (2007-08), the wiry point guard sunk 162 three-pointers over the course of the season. Since 1994-95, that stands as an NCAA record for most made threes in a single campaign.

Obviously, that mark also sits as the Davidson school record, but Curry takes it a step further. The top three seasons in Davidson history for made threes are all three of Curry's years at the school (162, 130 and 122, respectively). No other player in Davidson history has made more than 91 threes in a single season.

190 Pounds

Curry's size was the key variable bringing about negative commentary in scouting reports. Per NBADraft.net, reports read: "Body is on the small side, short arms and lack of great natural body strength," and, "Needs to add some muscles to his upper body, but appears as though he'll always be skinny."

Curry was listed at about 185 pounds coming out of college, and while he hasn't packed on a ton of muscle since then, it hasn't mattered. Save for the center position, where guys will be asked to defend against bruisers like Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins, packing on mass seems overrated (just look at the gangly Kevin Durant).

272 Three-Pointers

During the 2012-13 season, Curry broke Ray Allen's all-time record for made three-pointers in a season (269) by making 272 of them.

He'd fall short of that mark the following year, but he wasn't done setting records...

286 Three-Pointers

Two seasons after setting the NBA record for threes in a single season, Curry upped the ante in 2014-15.

In addition to winning his first MVP award, the three-point sniper converted 286 of his tries from long range -- beating his previous record by 14 triples.

Of course, Curry was still not finished.

304 Three-Pointers (and counting...)

With 19 games remaining on the Warriors' schedule (as of March 10), Curry has already shattered his previous record for three-point makes in a season. He's also become the first player in league history to make at least 300 triples in a single campaign.

The volume of Curry's treys is unprecedented, but that mixed with his efficiency is arguably the most impressive aspect.

730 Points Scored as a Freshman

Curry wasted no time making an impact as a scorer when he got to Davidson. He scored 730 points as a freshman, a school record.

But that's not all. Curry's 730 points as a freshman also ranks him No. 7 in NCAA basketball history (since 1994-95). Notable players ahead of him include Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony. Interestingly, his younger brother, Seth Curry, also scored more than 700 points as a freshman while in college at Liberty University (the younger Curry transferred to Duke thereafter).

844 Steals (NBA)

With 844 career steals, Curry ranks No. 3 in Warriors history behind Hall of Famers Chris Mullin (1,360) and Rick Barry (929).

Throughout Curry's career, he's garnered a reputation as a lackluster defender -- a weak link on an otherwise defensively-sound roster. And while Curry will never be in the conversation for the league's Defensive Player of the Year award, he has averaged at least 1.5 steals per game in each of his seven NBA seasons (topping out at 2.1 steals per game in 2015-16).

974 Single-Season Points (College)

Curry scored 974 points for the Wildcats during the 2008-09 season (34 games played). Ho-hum, that's a Davidson record for most points in a single season.

Of course, no disrespect to Davidson, but Curry doesn't have much competition in terms of school records. His 974 points, however, ranks second in NCAA history dating back to 1994-95. Only Jimmer Fredette formerly of Brigham Young University (1,068 points in 2010-11) bests Curry's single-season mark.

2,635 Points (College)

Curry left for the NBA following his junior year in college at Davidson. But even after skipping out on his senior year in favor of his NBA dreams, Curry finished as Davidson's all-time leading scorer with 2,635 points.

He's one of just three players in Davidson history -- joining John Gerdy and Fred Hetzel -- who eclipsed the 2,000-point plateau.

2,803 Team Points (College)

Not every record Curry set at Davidson is strictly tied to individual accomplishments.

During the 2007-08 season (Curry's sophomore campaign), the Davidson Wildcats scored a school-record 2,803 points over the course of 36 games. Included in that run were NCAA Tournament wins over Gonzaga (82-76), Georgetown (74-70) and Wisconsin (73-56).

The Wildcats eventually fell in the Elite 8 to the eventual-champion Kansas Jayhawks, 59-57.

4,164,930 All-Star Votes

As stated earlier on in the countdown, Curry has been named to three All-Star games, in which he was voted by fans to be a starter in each game

In the three years he's reached the All-Star Game, Curry has amassed 4,164,930 combined votes from fans. It's worth noting that fans can vote far more than once, but that's a gaudy total regardless.

Article: Courtesy Point After

NBA Basketball: "Facts About Superstar Stephen Curry"