Curry was a four-year starter at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg along with contemporaries Bobby Beecher, Perry Young, Al Young, and Keith Colbert. The Hokies appeared in the National Invitation Tournament in 1983 and 1984, finishing third in the latter. Although the team qualified for at-large bids to the NCAA tournament in 1985 and 1986, it lost in the first round on both occasions. In his senior season in 1986, Curry was named the player of the year in the Metro Conference. Prior to the 1986–87 season, NCAA basketball did not feature a three-point line; Curry's accurate long-range shooting was not rewarded, as it would be later in his NBA career. Curry also played baseball for Virginia Tech. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 14th round of the 1985 MLB draft but opted to continue playing basketball. Curry finished his Virginia Tech career with 2,389 points and 295 steals in basketball, and a 6–1 record with a 3.81 ERA in baseball. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, his first year of eligibility.
NBA career
Curry was selected with the 15th overall pick by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA draft. He played one season in Utah before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1987, where he spent the 1987–88 season. He was selected by one of the NBA's two newest teams for the 1988–89 season, the Charlotte Hornets, in the expansion draft after he was made available by the Cavaliers. Curry spent 10 seasons in Charlotte, mostly coming off the bench to provide instant offense, utilizing three-point shooting. He was a regular in the discussions for Sixth Man of the Year, but did not actually win the award until the 1993–94 season. He currently ranks among the franchise's all-time statistical leaders in points, games played, three-point field goals made and attempted, and three-point field goal percentage. Upon departing the franchise in 1998, he was the last player remaining from its inaugural season 10 years earlier. Curry played one season for the Milwaukee Bucks before playing his final three seasons in the NBA for the Toronto Raptors. He holds career averages of 11.7 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Curry retired as the all-time leading scorer in Hornets history with 9,839 points.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
Playoffs
Post-playing career
In 2004, Curry was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. On June 18, 2007, Curry was named an assistant coach of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats, but he stepped down before the season began so that he could attend his sons' basketball games. In 2009, Curry started working as a color commentator, alongside longtime play-by-play announcer Steve Martin, for the Charlotte Bobcats. In 2016, Curry was the recipient of the Bobby Jones Award at the Athletes in Action All Star Breakfast, which is held each year at the NBA All Star Weekend.
Personal life
Curry lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife Sonya, who played volleyball at Virginia Tech, where they met; the couple has three children. His older son, Stephen, plays in the NBA for the Golden State Warriors. In 2014–15, Stephen won the NBA MVP award and led the Warriors to the NBA championship, and in 2015–16, he led his team to the highest regular season win total in NBA history with 73 wins, once again being voted league MVP. Younger son Seth currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks and married to Callie Rivers, daughter of retired NBA player and current NBA coach Doc Rivers. His daughter, Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University. Sydel is married to NBA player Damion Lee. Curry has four grandchildren—Riley, Ryan, Carter, and Canon Curry. In 1998, Curry established a charitable foundation, the Dell Curry Foundation, which is a youth oriented program in Charlotte, North Carolina. The foundation runs five learning centers in Charlotte to provide educational training and drug abuse counseling.
