In a recent revelation that has taken the basketball world by surprise, Stephen Curry, the three-time NBA champion, disclosed that he wore the wrong size of sneakers from high school all the way to his rookie year in the league. The reason? His desire to follow in his father’s footsteps, quite literally.
Stephen Curry’s Sneaker Revelation: NBA Star’s Decades-Long Affair with Oversized Footwear
The Curry family legacy in the NBA is well-known. Stephen’s father, Dell Curry, a sharpshooter in his own right, sported size 14 sneakers during his illustrious career. This seemingly minor detail had a profound impact on young Stephen. “Pops played in the league, he wore a size 14,” Curry explained during an interview with Complex Sports. “I had a bigger foot as a kid growing up, but definitely nowhere near 14, but I convinced myself that I was a 14 so I can rock all his shoes.”
To make these oversized shoes somewhat wearable, Stephen resorted to double socking, a trick that allowed him to squeeze into the size 14s. “Then just got used to the feel of it being too big,” Curry continued. “And then eventually I tricked myself into thinking that… All the way to my rookie year in the league, I said I wore 14.” It was a charade that lasted for years.
However, a keen observer could spot the mismatch between Curry’s feet and his footwear. A preseason game photo from his rookie season tells the tale, showing that the shoes were undeniably too large for him. In reality, Stephen Curry wore a modest size 12 and a half throughout his journey from high school to college and into his rookie year in the NBA.
Surprisingly, Curry doesn’t believe that his choice of oversized sneakers had any detrimental effects on his game. “It didn’t have any effect really,” he noted. “Because I had a crazy college career, obviously a tournament run and all that, rocking 14s.”
In a lighthearted jest, Curry speculated on what might have been if he had been wearing the right shoe size all along. “I might have averaged 10 more points per game,” he joked. Considering his impressive college career, where he averaged 25.3 points per game during his three seasons with Davidson, an extra 10 points would have been nothing short of remarkable.
In retrospect, Stephen Curry’s choice of oversized sneakers was a quirky yet endearing chapter in his basketball journey. It showcased his determination to connect with his father’s legacy while inadvertently adding a unique twist to his own remarkable story.
While we’ll never know if those size 14 sneakers made a significant difference on the court, one thing is for sure: Stephen Curry’s talent and dedication have made him one of the greatest players in NBA history, regardless of his shoe size antics.