Leading up to draft day, Stephen Curry had a very strong list of preferences on where to start his NBA career, which neither the Warriors nor the Timberwolves were on. After receiving calls from those teams before the draft, Steph’s father, Dell, revealed how he did his part to ensure they did not pick No. 30.
“So draft day, we’re in New York, I get a call from [ex-Warriors coach] Don Nelson,” Dell said on the “Heat Check with Stephen and Dell Curry” podcast. “He says, ‘Dell, you got a problem if we select Steph at No. 7? I said, ‘Yes, I do.’ He’s like, ‘What?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, we want him in New York.’ We talk for five or 10 minutes. He’s like, ‘Well if he’s there, we’re going to take him anyway.’ I’m like,’ It’s your choice. You asked me for my opinion, I gave it to you.’ I’m glad he [picked Steph]. It all worked out.”
“I got a call from Minnesota [Timberwolves] as well, asking about drafting [Steph],” Dell said. “I told them, ‘Please don’t. Please don’t.’ It was [ex-Timberwolves assistant coach] J. B. Bickerstaff. They said, ‘OK, we won’t.’ They didn’t. [They took] two back-to-back point guards.”
Dell is a 16-year NBA veteran and former Sixth Man of the Year who played for the Hornets, Jazz, Cavaliers, Bucks, and Raptors. As his son Steph was following a similar path, he helped him grow and develop his game and he tried to help get to his dream destination.
Of course, Steph (a 2x MVP) only had eyes for the Knicks at the time and was working with his family and agent to make his dream a reality. Unfortunately for the Knicks, they had the 8th pick that year and by the time it was their turn to choose, Curry was already off the board. They ended up selecting Jordan Hill instead.
Whereas the Timberwolves listened to Dell and decided to pick up Ricky Rubio at 5 and Jonny Flynn at 6, the Warriors went against Dell’s request and decided to draft him at the first chance they could. In that moment, the Knicks lost a potential superstar forever and Curry went on to become the new face of a franchise that created a dynasty.
Looking back, Steph doesn’t regret how it all played out in the end. The Knicks have yet to win anything since he came into the league while his run with the Warriors has changed the NBA forever. In 14 years, he’s won two MVPs, made 10 All-Star appearances, and has won four NBA championships alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
It really doesn’t get any better than that in the NBA, and Steph should count himself lucky that he was drafted when he was. If he had his way, it’s possible he might be ringless right now given the Knicks’ long history of front-office failures.
in the end, this story shows that what you want isn’t always what’s best for you. For Curry, the glitz and glamour of New York could never compare to his peak run with the Warriors and their decision to ignore Dell’s request that night helped turn around decades of irrelevancy in the Western Conference.
