Any parent would be thrilled to know their child has made it to the NBA. But this wasn’t the same story in the Curry household in 2009. Before becoming the face of the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry’s parents, Dell and Sonya, were deeply concerned about his rookie year. Even though Steph was coming out of a stellar college career at Davidson, his move to the GSW franchise brought in anxiety for his parents, who were rather concerned about the team’s locker room dynamics.

On an episode of the Rising Fame podcast, the host asked Sonya and Dell Curry, “You didn’t want him to go to the Warriors, is that right?” The former Charlotte Hornets player replied, “No, I didn’t,” and Sonya doubled down: “I didn’t either. I didn’t even know where that was. When they announced Golden State, I was like, ‘Where’s the Golden State?’” But why didn’t it seem like the right fit for Stephen Curry?

“They had some questionable characters in the locker room,” revealed Dell. Another factor was the fact that Steph opted out of his senior year at Davidson but also stated his interest in finishing his degree (which he completed in May 2022). “Him coming out early, we wanted him to play with some professional guys who could teach him the NBA. I’d been to the NBA, but I’d been retired 12, 15 years by then, and the game had changed, the locker room had changed,” Dell added.

Curry’s concern was not unfounded. The Warriors’ locker room was indeed filled with controversial figures like a volatile Monta Ellis. He had been suspended without pay for 30 games in 2008. Ellis had agreed to a 6-year, $66 million contract in July 2008, and in late August, he sprained his ankle in a low-speed moped crash. Moreover, he lied to Warriors management, claiming the accident happened while playing pickup ball.

When he revealed the real reason down the line, then-Warriors president Robert Rowell suspended Ellis. Besides him, the locker room even had Stephen Jackson – one of the most experienced players on the roster the year Curry was drafted – whose off-court behavior was drawing attention in the most negative of ways. In 2007, the NBA suspended Jackson for 7 games without pay after he pleaded guilty to a felony count of criminal recklessness, which led to him losing around $422,000 in salary.

This was one of a few other violent interactions Jackson had in the past. So, of course, Stephen Curry’s parents were concerned! Dell Curry continued, “We wanted [Steph] in the best situation in the organization that fit his game.” Minnesota famously passed on Curry with their fifth and sixth picks (much to Steph’s agent Jeff Austin’s delight, because he didn’t want Curry joining the rebuilding Timberwolves), leaving the Warriors to draft him at seventh.

This decision only heightened the Currys’ concerns, especially considering Steph’s relatively slight physique at the time. “We were not overly excited. We were excited he was drafted to the NBA, but we were really concerned,” Dell admitted, with Sonya agreeing. But did you know that then-Warriors head coach Don Nelson had already warned Dell Curry?

In the podcast, the former player revealed, “On draft day, Don Nelson called me and asked, ‘Do you have a problem with us drafting your son?’” Well, Dell couldn’t help but be truthful. He said yes. After a conversation, Nelson told Dell, “If he’s there, I’m gonna draft him.” That’s what ended up happening, and it turned out quite alright. But before training camp in Stephen Curry’s rookie year, Monta Ellis proved Dell and Sonya’s suspicions right when he declared, “We can’t win together with me and Steph.”

He believed the Warriors drafted Curry to replace him and made his feelings about it quite clear multiple times. Well, he wasn’t wrong either, considering the franchise was 99-123 with them in the lineup before Ellis was traded in 2012. Anticipating all this, the Currys had hoped for a different team to pick their son, and surprisingly, it wasn’t Charlotte.

Dell and Sonya Curry revealed their preferred destination for Steph

Reflecting on what might have been, Dell and Sonya Curry revealed that their preferred draft destination for Steph was actually the New York Knicks. “That would’ve been nice for us. We lived in New York,” Sonya shared. Dell had already voiced his disapproval to the Timberwolves, leading them to pass on Curry. As for the Knicks, who had the eighth pick, why did Dell think they’d be the right fit for his son?

In an earlier interview, the former Hornets shooting guard said, “The Knicks really needed a point guard, and we felt that Stephen would fit perfectly with a coach like Mike D’Antoni, playing that fast, up-and-down style. He loved the idea of playing at Madison Square Garden.” In fact, Jeff Austin even told then-Knicks GM Donnie Walsh that he was trying his best to ensure Curry would end up in New York.

In a pre-draft interview, Walsh explained why Curry would be perfect for the Knicks, “He’d get the ball in the backcourt, and boom, he was gone. It wasn’t just his quickness; he saw everything. I’m sitting there thinking, ‘We’ve got D’Antoni coaching our team, and this kid would fit perfectly.’” However, even though Dell tried to object to Don Nelson’s interest in drafting Steph, the Warriors proceeded anyway — a decision that would ultimately shape NBA history.

Today, in 2024, Stephen Curry stands as the undisputed face of the Golden State Warriors, and the franchise, along with its fans, can look back with gratitude for the bold move that changed the course of NBA history.