Warriors: Steph Curry says college degree was ‘long time coming’
Stephen Curry didn't walk across the stage at Davidson College's
graduation ceremony Sunday morning, but he eagerly waited to hear his
name be called during the livestream.
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 9: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) celebrates after making a free-throw attempt in the fourth
quarter of Game 4 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series at
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 9, 2022. The
Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 101-98. (Jose
Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – MAY 9: Golden State Warriors’ Stephen
Curry (30) celebrates after making a free-throw attempt in the fourth
quarter of Game 4 of a second-round NBA basketball playoff series at
Chase Center in San Francisco, Calif., on Monday, May 9, 2022. The
Golden State Warriors defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 101-98. (Jose
Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
By MADELINE KENNEY | mkenney@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 16, 2022 at 6:09 p.m. | UPDATED: May 17, 2022 at 5:14 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/05/16/warriors-steph-curry-says-college-degree-was-long-time-coming/

SAN FRANCISCO — For the last 10 or so years, Stephen Curry’s mother
would brag that two of her three children were college graduates.

But that officially changed Sunday morning.

Curry didn’t walk across the stage at Davidson College’s graduation
ceremony — he has a Western Conference finals to prepare for — but he
eagerly waited to hear his name be called as he watched the livestream
after he finished the last of his coursework to earn his degree.

“This is a long time coming,” Curry said Monday. “Just obviously a sense
of accomplishment.”

When Curry left college to declare for the 2009 NBA draft, he promised
his mother, Sonya, and Davidson basketball coach Bob McKillop that he
would one day receive his degree. Curry completed most of his coursework
at Davidson during the 2011 NBA lockout, but re-enrolled at the college
this spring to finish the rest of his requirements to earn a Bachelor of
Arts degree with a major in Sociology. He did his classwork remotely
with two former members of the Davidson faculty aiding him from nearby
Stanford University and the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Some of his final college projects included an assignment on tattoos and
culture to which he used some of his Warriors teammates as sources. He
also wrote his thesis on the advancement of gender equity through sports.

What drew Curry to study sociology?

“Back when I was in school, it was between that and mathematics… and
yeah, exactly,” Curry said with a smile.

He continued, “I took a couple of [sociology] classes my freshman and
sophomore year that I enjoyed.”

Coach Steve Kerr said he wasn’t surprised to hear that Curry re-enrolled
in school at 34 to complete his degree 13 years after he left the campus.

“Steph is a really curious guy, he’s constantly trying to expand his
horizons and getting his college degree was really important to him, so
I think it’s fantastic,” Kerr said. “And same with Gary [Payton II who’s
a month out from getting his degree at Oregon State Universtiy.] It’s
wonderful to see guys go back and finish up.”

Now that Curry is an official alumnus from Davidson College, the
institution can move forward with planning an official jersey retirement
ceremony for the three-time NBA champion. Curry said sealing his
basketball legacy was another source of motivation to finish his coursework.

“It would be special to kind of cement an amazing time in my life when I
was there, the teammates I’ve played with, coach McKillop who’s still
there doing his thing, representing the program that he built and be
part of that history, it means a lot,” Curry said.

You know what else means a lot?

Going forward, Curry’s mother will now be able to brag that all three of
her children have college diplomas.

“I finally got to join my siblings on that front,” Curry said. “So I’m
not the odd one out anymore.”