CHARLOTTE — Mayor Vi Lyles and the Charlotte City Council presented NBA superstar Steph Curry with a key to the city Thursday.
“It is definitely a moment to reflect and take a second to thank God for the blessings I have,” said Curry, point guard with the Golden State Warriors. “All the successes on and off the court, the ability to impact communities here in Charlotte, here in the state of North Carolina.”
Curry is a Charlotte native and graduate of Charlotte Christian. Curry attended Davidson College from 2006 to 2009 before leaving early to play basketball professionally. He officially graduated from Davidson College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.
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Curry heard from Lyles, his former high school coach, Shonn Brown, and Carolina Panthers legend Thomas Davis, a past key to the city recipient.
“Not a whole lot of people that have had the opportunity to receive the key to the city,” Davis said. “I still haven’t figured out what exactly I can do with it. Still working on that.”
Curry reflected on his time in the Queen City including playing basketball at the Naomi Drenan Center off Wendover Road.
“Charlotte is in my blood, in my DNA,” Curry said. “I am so proud when anybody ever asks me where I am from. I wasn’t born here but I am from Charlotte. The best 21 years of my life spent here, and I carry that with me everywhere I go. So to have this key to the city, (Thomas Davis), we are going to figure out what we can do with it for sure. We’re going to put our heads together.”
The Warriors superstar said if he had to pick anywhere else to play, it would be for the Charlotte Hornets.
“Everyone always asks me, ‘Wouldn’t you want to play one year for the Hornets and come back?’” Curry told the crowd that applauded inside the Government Center. “Don’t do that, don’t do that. I am not breaking any news right now. I am not making any promises. All I would say, though, is if there was a team that I wanted to play for that was not named the Warriors, that would be it.”
However, Curry emphasized he was committed to the Warriors.
On Wednesday, Davidson College formally presented Curry his diploma in a graduation ceremony. Curry was also inducted into the Davidson College Athletics Hall of Fame and had his number retired.
Curry was the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. He’s gone on to win four NBA Championships and two league Most Valuable Player awards. He holds the NBA record for the most three-pointers.
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