Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is a man of many passions. While he enthusiastically plays basketball, he likes golf, and there is no doubt that he loves his family. However, there is one other thing that the player is crazy about: Popcorn! Ever since a 2019 interview with the New York Times exposed his ‘addiction’, Curry has been quite open about how, before a game at a different arena, he always heads to the popcorn table. “If it’s really good, I’m eating it before the game, at halftime and after,” said Curry. The 36-year-old’s love for popcorn has prompted him to form his rankings for which arena serves its best. This provided the perfect opportunity for a businesswoman to undermine the efforts of the Dallas Mavericks in at least one area.

Meanwhile, Inglewood, California, will soon be the home of the Intuit Dome, a brand-new indoor arena currently under construction. Once completed, it will be the home base of the LA Clippers, who have shared the Crypto.com Arena with the Lakers and the NHL team Los Angeles Kings for the last two decades. According to the Los Angeles Times, Gillian Zucker, the president of business operations for the Clippers, is making it her priority to make the food of the arena the talk of the town. She even enlisted the help of Clippers owner and billionaire Steve Ballmer by reportedly having him consume 11 different varieties of hot dogs before choosing the right one.  When dealing with the issue of popcorn, both Zucker and Ballmer knew who to approach.

“Steph Curry has actually ranked every single facility for their popcorn,” said Zucker during the LA Times interview. “And we’re like we want our popcorn to be the best so maybe he’d come and try it. We asked him and he said he would.” Zucker described presenting the four-time NBA champion with over 10 different options to choose from. At first, she admitted being skeptical about how much one guy can know about this treat. However, her doubts evaporated when Curry went into detail about the popcorn’s crunch, its butterfly shape, and how it should “melt in your mouth”. In the end, he chose a popcorn that came from Nebraska. According to reports, the eatery is described as a butter toffee popcorn with “a sweet, crunchy coating that’s as addictive as your favourite potato chip”. Is anyone else feeling hungry?

This isn’t the first time Stephen Curry has shared his expertise on popcorn. In 2019, Stephen Curry released a chart highlighting his arena rankings after a constructive ‘popcorn analysis’. The popcorn made within the four walls of that playing and entertainment area was ranked based on five criteria: Freshness, Saltiness, Crunchiness, Butter, and Presentation. According to it, the American Airlines Center, the home base of the Dallas Mavericks, ranked #1 by a score of 24. It got a perfect 5 in all areas except for Crunchiness. At the same time, the Crypto.Com Arena, then known as the Staples Center, ranked dead last with a score of 10. With a new arena comes a new reputation, and Steve Ballmer does not want to falter this time. After all, since the franchise holds a 4-6 record against the Mavericks, they probably felt the need to improve elsewhere!

Stephen Curry’s father and coach are not fans of the player’s ‘popcorn addiction’

When looking at some of the people who have had a significant impact on making Stephen Curry who he is today, the one that certainly pops up is that of his father, Dell Curry. The other name is that of Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. Having kept a close eye on the star for quite some time now, the duo is certainly quite aware of his love for popcorn. Dell Curry himself is a big consumer of the buttery snack.

During an interview, Curry Sr revealed that he often rushes home to watch Stephen and/or his younger son, Seth Curry, play their game while holding onto some popcorn. “It’s still my favourite snack after games,” said Dell Curry. “When I’m watching my kids, I’ve got popcorn with me.” However, during the same interview, he also stated that he had never imagined consuming a snack before a game when he was a player. After all, popcorn is not something that many would consider an item to be consumed before a high-powered game. Steve Kerr himself agreed with his viewpoint. However, after indulging in consuming popcorn before a game for so many years and still delivering some of the best performances in the modern NBA, the coach knew that Stephen Curry should be allowed to act as he pleases.

“Whatever he is doing, he needs to continue to do,” said Kerr. “That is my advice.”

Stephen Curry may have given his green light on the Intuit Dome’s arena. However, until fans confirm the same, we may never know whether it can surpass the American Airlines Center.

Before leaving, be sure to check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.