SAN FRANCISCO — For the last 10 or so years, Stephen Curry’s mother would brag that two of her three children were college graduates.
But that officially changed Sunday morning.
Curry didn’t walk across the stage at Davidson College’s graduation ceremony — he has a Western Conference finals to prepare for — but he eagerly waited to hear his name be called as he watched the livestream after he finished the last of his coursework to earn his degree.
“This is a long time coming,” Curry said Monday. “Just obviously a sense of accomplishment.”
When Curry left college to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, he promised his mother, Sonya, and Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop that he would one day receive his degree. Curry completed most of his coursework at Davidson during the 2011 NBA lockout, but re-enrolled at the college this spring to finish the rest of his requirements to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Sociology. He did his classwork remotely with two former members of the Davidson faculty aiding him from nearby Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Some of his final college projects included an assignment on tattoos and culture to which he used some of his Warriors teammates as sources. He also wrote his thesis on the advancement of gender equity through sports.
What drew Curry to study sociology?
“Back when I was in school, it was between that and mathematics … and yeah, exactly,” Curry said with a smile.
He continued, “I took a couple of [sociology] classes my freshman and sophomore year that I enjoyed.”
Coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t surprised to hear that Curry re-enrolled in school at 34 to complete his degree 13 years after he left the campus.
“Steph is a really curious guy, he’s constantly trying to expand his horizons and getting his college degree was really important to him, so I think it’s fantastic,” Kerr said. “And same with Gary [Payton II who’s a month out from getting his degree at Oregon State Universtiy.] It’s wonderful to see guys go back and finish up.”
Now that Curry is an official alumnus from Davidson College, the institution can move forward with planning an official jersey retirement ceremony for the three-time NBA champion. Curry said sealing his basketball legacy was another source of motivation to finish his coursework.
“It would be special to kind of cement an amazing time in my life when I was there, the teammates I’ve played with, coach McKillop who’s still there doing his thing, representing the program that he built and be part of that history, it means a lot,” Curry said.
You know what else means a lot?
Going forward, Curry’s mother will now be able to brag that all three of her children have college diplomas.
“I finally got to join my siblings on that front,” Curry said. “So I’m not the odd one out anymore.”
