“I’m not at the farewell yet… you need a little bit of fear of what’s coming to appreciate what’s going on right now.” That’s Stephen Curry, 37 years old, talking about the one opponent even he can’t shake: time. He knows the end is out there somewhere. But when you watch him play — still an All-Star, still the most dangerous shooter alive, still breaking defenses with ease — it’s hard not to wonder: how is he still doing this? What’s keeping him this sharp, this dangerous, this late in his career?
Well, his own father, Dell—who knows a thing or two about longevity after a solid 16-year NBA career himself (coincidentally Steph is also in his 16th season!)—just pulled back the curtain. In a recent interview, he revealed the intense, unseen ritual that fuels his son’s greatness.
“That’s the thing you don’t see, and that’s the reason why he’s able to play at the level he is when no one’s watching,” Dell explained. He then laid out the exhausting schedule: “You have to get up before the kids get up. Get a workout in, get the kids up, get them off to school, get to the gym, get shots, pick them up, handle your business side of things during the day, hang out with the family, get them to bed, and then he goes back to the gym again.”
That two-a-day grind is what makes last season’s ending so gut-wrenching. After the Warriors traded for Jimmy Butler, the team’s entire dynamic shifted. The impact was immediate and staggering. Golden State rattled off an incredible 23-8 record when both stars were in the lineup, and Curry’s own production exploded. They looked like title contenders again. But then, a hamstring strain in the playoffs sidelined Curry, and their championship window slammed shut.
According to reports at the time, the injury required a careful healing process before he could even think about sprinting or cutting. The injury was a brutal reminder of how fragile a season can be, and it clearly lit a fire under him, Dell, confirmed that competitive fire is burning as hot as ever. “He still loves the game,” Dell said. “He’s a competitive guy. He wants to win another title, so we’re not even close to that window yet. But when the time comes, I think he’ll make the right decision.”
Golden State Warriors Point guard Stephen Curry(R) and his father Dell Curry attend the event of Under Armour in Tokyo, Japan on September 11, 2018. TKP2018091114 KEIZOxMORI
This is a feeling Steph himself echoed during the season. “If you’re not winning… it’s like, ‘How do we make this happen for me?’ I only have a certain amount of years left and I want to win desperately,” Curry admitted. That desperation is already fueling his comeback.
Dell confirmed that Steph has been back in the gym almost as soon as his hamstring was cleared, “He’s been in the gym pretty quickly since he was able to get that hamstring cleared up. He’s been in the gym, in the weight room, working on his body, making sure his strength and his core and everything’s ready to go.” It’s an intense preparation, all driven by that “fear of what’s coming.” But, if the fear of the end drives the work, what fuels the man doing it? The answer is simple: family.
How can we not talk about family when family’s all that we got? For Stephen Curry, that’s everything.
This offseason, we’ve seen just how big of a family man Stephen Curry is. Fans have seen him in the stands, just another dad, cheering at his daughter Riley’s volleyball games. He’s been spotted taking the family to a Benson Boone concert and celebrating his baby Cai’s first birthday. This is the side of him Ayesha celebrated on Father’s Day with a heartfelt Instagram post. “The best and then some. We love @stephencurry30 so much!!! The best dad in the world. Our babies are obsessed and in awe of him (as am I) and it is such a blessing to watch.”
It’s also what separates him from so many other legends. His own father admitted that when he retired, it wasn’t a lack of skill but a lack of energy for the offseason grind. “I think it’ll come down to—not necessarily his skill, or what he can do in a game in the season,” Dell said. “I think it’s a matter of, can he go through the rigors of preparing himself to play in an NBA season? I know when I retired, that was a big factor. I just didn’t feel like I had the energy, the effort to work and train throughout the summer.”
For Steph, that grind is just part of a larger daily routine that includes getting his kids ready for school and putting them to bed. His family life doesn’t take energy away from his career; it seems to be what replenishes it.
So, for any fans worried that this focus on family means he’s winding down, Dell made it clear that’s not the case. “He still loves the game,” he said. “He’s a competitive guy… so we’re not even close to that window yet.” For Stephen Curry, the secret ritual, the early mornings and late nights, isn’t just about holding on; it’s about gearing up for another run, fueled by the one thing that matters more to him than another ring: his family.
The post Stephen Curry’s Secret Ritual With Family Revealed By Father Dell After Retirement Discussion appeared first on EssentiallySports.
