Stephen Curry is a two-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, a four-time league champion and among the greatest shooters of all t
Stephen Curry is a two-time National Basketball Association Most Valuable Player, a four-time league champion and among the greatest shooters of all time.
He also owns a media company, a bourbon brand, a golf league for kids and a philanthropic foundation that gives back to students in Oakland, California.
Yet, even the Golden State Warriors star suffers from impostor syndrome.
“I’m human,” Curry said in an interview for “Curry Inc.,” a CNBC Sport production centered on Curry’s career and business ambitions. “Like everybody, you have doubts about yourself, you have impostor syndrome at times.”
Stephen Curry, #30 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates with his dad, Dell Curry, after winning Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Finals at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Jesse D. Garrabrant | National Basketball Association | Getty Images
Curry is the son of former NBA star Dell Curry, who played 16 seasons in the NBA.
While Stephen grew up on the sidelines watching his dad play, he says because of his stature and underdog mentality, he didn’t grow up with the expectation to play in the league.
“I couldn’t have dreamt this,” said Curry, who was selected as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft and went on to become the all-time greatest 3-point shooter in NBA history.
CNBC Sport’s “Curry Inc.: The Business of Stephen Curry” will premiere on CNBC on Wednesday, June 4, at 9 p.m. ET.
The 11-time NBA All-Star says he has embraced his underdog status and used it as motivation throughout his tenure at Davidson College and into his time in the NBA.
Stephen Curry, #30 of the Davidson Wildcats, directs the offense against the Kansas Jayhawks during the Midwest Regional Final of the 2008 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on March 30, 2008. Kansas won 59-57.
Gregory Shamus | Getty Images Sport | Getty Images
“Matching the God-given abilities and the work ethic and just being able to lose myself in the game I think is a good formula,” Curry said.
Off the court, Curry has similarly found success. He heads Thirty Ink, a house of brands that includes his different business ventures across entertainment, marketing, fitness, lifestyle and technology.
He’s also passionate about giving back. Through his nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play., Curry has raised nearly $100 million for Oakland schools over the past five years.
There is also the Underrated Golf Tour, where Curry works to get minorities out on the links in a traditionally white sport.
“From a national perspective, a lot of the narrative is trying to peel back programs and opportunities that are allowing people to have just a fair shot and a fair chance. Everything that we do and what I can control is about true equity,” he said.
With all these commitments on his plate, Curry said he grapples with whether he is fulfilling his full potential in all the different areas of his life.
“We all like to be a better husband, a better father, more present at times, just because we’re pulled — I’m pulled — in a lot of different areas,” Curry said.
As CNBC followed Curry around NBA All-Star Weekend in February, Curry said he has embraced the pressure that comes with being a star basketball player and a public figure.
“All of these realties are wild to me, and sometimes you just gotta get out of your own way and enjoy it,” he added.
Correction: Through his nonprofit Eat. Learn. Play., Stephen Curry has raised nearly $100 million for Oakland schools over the past five years. An earlier version misstated the figure.
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