Renowned businessman Richard Attias once claimed, “Sport is one of the few spaces where people can learn about different cultures in a spirit of trust and friendship.” If someone like Stephen Curry was to be a unique individual on the basketball court, he needed to imbibe the lessons that came not just from learning his sport. As a result, when growing up, the future NBA star’s parents, Dell and Sonya, introduced their eldest to Golf! Therefore, before Curry established his dominance on the green pasture as well, he indirectly gained some lessons that would be used in the everyday part of his NBA career.

In the first episode of her ‘Raising Fame’ podcast, Sonya Curry revealed how she introduced golf to a young Steph. While she claimed that the future NBA star used to perform well, the whole purpose was for him to learn lessons that would come out of facing defeat. The same came as well, as any game that Curry lost made him feel ‘humbled’, allowing him to learn by himself where he needs to improve. This further allowed him to learn about sportsmanship, and working together as a team alongside the other players.

“They got another sense of kind of rejection or…. you know, humbling. Real humbling. He got to see what their response would be to that as well. And it got them around different people too,” said Sonya. “So, I think that’s also been one benefit of it, is that being exposed to like different people, outlooks, and personalities, and how can they be team members of these different cultures. Because golf players are different, football players are different. Life skill. Yeah. It’s just, it’s really cool.”

Change is a critical part of the NBA, with players often heading to different franchises that offer them a better opportunity. While Stephen Curry has stayed with the Golden State Warriors for the entirety of his 15-year ongoing career, he has reportedly played with over 181 teammates over that time. To maintain the franchise’s standing, the player has done his part in ensuring that he vibes well with each new member, and vice versa.

Back in late August 2023, he organized a ‘players-only’ mini-camp. The week-long event not only allowed bonding as the players practiced and had team dinners, but it also allowed then that NBA rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis to get acquainted with the rest of their teammates. This was something that the shooting guard appreciated.

“It was more of a get to know each other on a level where basketball wasn’t involved” said Podziemski. “Obviously we played basketball as a group, but it was good to finally get to meet people. For all the new guys, it was super helpful.”

Welcoming rookies is one thing, and former rivals another. When Chris Paul was traded to the Golden State Warriors, Klay Thompson admitted that it was a little “weird.” After all, the duo had been rivals for over 12 years. Stephen Curry, however, who had competed against Paul for 14 years till that point, placed winning as a priority over any weirdness. He complimented his new teammate in a statement by saying “Every team that CP has been on gets better. That’s the most consistent thing about him, and who he is and what he brings to the team. Everybody’s going to talk about the age. It’s on us to put that all together and figure out how all the pieces work.”

Today, Stephen Curry is known as an avid golfer. From winning the American Century Championship to being named the Golf Ambassador of 2023 by the ‘Champions’ Tour, success has found him in his sport as well. However, the rejection/loss he experienced in the early stages taught him to work alongside his other teammates. This same lesson was carried by Steph as he recently took his talents to the international stage

How did Stephen Curry adjust to teaming up with LeBron James on the Team USA roster?

If adjusting to a long-time rival like Chris Paul was one thing, imagine doing the same with 14 other players. In his first international outing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Stephen Curry was teamed up with some of the best that the NBA has to offer, including the two-time Gold Medallist LeBron James. Regarded as two of the most dominant veterans of the modern NBA, LeBron and Steph’s 15-year rivalry was expected to cause some complications. Fortunately, sharing the court with another prominent lead scorer was not something that Curry had trouble with. Instead, just like golf, the team-up gave him some new ideas to follow.

“Having LeBron as a teammate is like surreal because you have so many battles back and forth,” said the 36-year-old in an interview with Yahoo Sports. “You admire his game, you know what he’s about and to see the work up close and personal every day, to see how he prepares, how he talks and practices. I’ve never had that vantage point of him. So, just excited to see how our games complement each other and, and, you know, build that chemistry that’s gonna help lead this team.”

More than LeBron, Curry had trouble adjusting to the different set of rules that FIBA had in comparison to the NBA. Fortunately, neither provided any trouble for long, and Team USA was able to secure the Gold Medal once again. While LeBron was named the MVP, Curry became the highest-average scorer on the roster. The important lesson that Sonya indirectly imbibed in her son through golf allowed him to find the secret of success and allowed him to earn whatever he has to this point.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.