How Stephen Curry changed his shooting mechanics on his father’s advice

Former reference shooter in the 90s, Dell Currythe father of Stephen And Seth Curryis now a media consultant in Charlotte, where his two sons spent a good part of their childhood, when he played for the Hornets (1988-1998).

Interviewed by the Charlotte Observer, the former fullback notably spoke of the influence that his career and his life as an NBA player may have had on the leader of the Warriors and his brother. He particularly remembered the many times his two sons accompanied him on a daily basis, in training or on match days, and realized to what extent this environment could have weighed on their respective destinies.

“They loved coming to training. I was like, ‘Okay boys, you can come to practice and play, but when practice starts you have to go get a Gatorade. You can hold the ball as long as it doesn’t touch the ground. But you need to be careful. We are professionals, this is a professional team and your father is at work’. I don’t know to what extent they understood that at a young age. Then when they got older, they started going into the locker room and they found out how hard it was to prepare for every game. I think they realized at that point, ‘This is real work. It’s work. It’s a game, but it’s serious.’ And I think that really helped them get to where they are today, learning the work ethic, knowing how serious basketball is.”

Entering university means change

With an average of 40.2% success behind the arc in his career in the NBA, Dell Curry’s shooting quality no longer needs to be proven, even if Stephen Curry subsequently largely surpassed him. It is therefore very logical that the father had the opportunity to pass on his best advice to his two sons. The former “Sixth Man of The Year” thus claimed authorship of Stephen Curry’s shot, thus helping to make him the best shooter of all time.

The father particularly remembered a complicated summer, where he had to push little Stephen to his limits to force him to change his shooting mechanics, which then started from too low. It was before he entered college at Davidson that Dell Curry took matters into his own hands.

“He was a little guy when he finished his sophomore year at Charlotte Christian…And to trigger his shot, he would go with his arm at waist level to push the ball up. It came in and worked in high school. But one day he said to me, ‘Dad, I think I want to go to college.’ I replied: ‘Okay, you have to change your shot’. And he said to me: ‘What?’ I then told him: ‘Yes, we have to move your shot above your head, or you will be blocked'”he said. “It was a really tough summer. He was really close to saying, ‘I’m not going to do that. I won’t play basketball. But I told him: ‘Son, you have to persevere. It’s going to work’. He did, but it took a month or two before he was strong enough to shoot from the outside of the racket.”

His work and perseverance have paid off for Stephen Curry’s career, as it did for Seth Curry. The difficulties endured were therefore worth it.

” It was hard. He sometimes said to himself, ‘I can’t do it. It is too hard’. But thank God he trusted his father,” concluded Dell Curry.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.