[sirens wailing]
[Anderson] The Warriors, the Knicks, from Madison Square Garden in New York.
Brian Anderson along with the Hall of Famer Reggie Miller.
An honor to be here tonight on this night
when Stephen Curry is on the doorstep of history.
And an honor to be next to you on this night...
Knick hats, guys. Knick hats. Hats, guys. Knick hats.
[vendor] History-- History in the making right here.
Steph Curry is going to break the record for the most three-pointers.
This is the night he's gonna do it.
[Miller] Okay.
Tell me when y'all are ready.
[fans cheering]
[Miller] "Far below NBA standard in regard to explosiveness and athleticism."
"At 6'2", he's extremely small for the NBA shooting guard position.
Do not rely on him to run your team."
"Can overshoot and rush into shots.
Doesn't like when defenses are too physical with him.
Not a great finisher around the basket due to his size and physical attributes.
Needs to add some muscle to his upper body,
but appears as though he'll always be skinny."
That was the draft report on Stephen Curry.
[Miller] Look at the fans as they rise up
as Curry is bringing the basketball up here.
Everyone here is standing to witness history.
[Anderson] For the record!
- [fans cheering, shouting] - [Anderson] It's good! There it is!
Stephen Curry! The all-time three-point king of the NBA!
Stephen Curry stands alone
as the most dominant distance shooter the game has ever seen.
2,974 threes and counting.
[cheering continues]
[squeals, laughs]
Pointer three-god for real, son.
[Stephen Curry] Silver fox.
I had the green light tonight.
- The license to shoot. - You have the license. [chuckles]
- All right, get the fuck outta here, bro. - [Durant laughs]
Sorry for my lang-- Sorry for my language, Mama. I'm so sorry.
[speaks indistinctly] ...came over here, bro. Like...
I had to come over here and say what's up.
Love you, brother.
Love you too, dawg. Yo. [chuckles] I keep on telling you, dawg.
Remember the time you thought I was a little white kid?
[both laughing]
[Durant] I think about that shit all the time, yo. [inhales sharply]
I mean, who knew this shit ten years ago? [chuckles] Now you that guy.
- It's-- It's crazy. - Nothing about it makes any sense.
Embrace that shit.
- All right? - All right. Absolutely.
- Good luck, brother. - Appreciate it, man.
- I love that dude, man. - Dude.
Most misunderstood dude in the fricking league right there.
[Stephen] I couldn't imagine a better way to celebrate
something that means so much to me, to my family.
I could not have ever imagined, like, this would be a reality.
Um, and to know that everybody in this room has had a part in my life,
my journey, in some way, shape or form--
Like, y'all know what this means to me. This number right here?
[friends, family cheering] Yeah, baby! Whoo! Yeah!
[Stephen] It's a number, but it has so much context, so much history,
and we all get to own that together, so thank y'all so much.
[cheering continues] Whoo!
[Stephen] I'm constantly trying to find the space
just to be able to survey my life, survey what's going on.
To let my mind think about "How did I get here?"
My mind goes back to those places.
And I think about everything.
When I was nine years old,
I played on the ten-and-under AAU team the Charlotte Stars.
I remember looking around like,
"Oh, I'm not as tall as him, not as strong as him."
I was the undersized scrawny kid that was just trying to figure out
how to make it at whatever level I was playing.
[spectators shout, applaud]
That was when I first really understood I'm different.
And the temptation for me at that time was to think about what I couldn't do.
But I knew I could shoot.
That was part of what I brought to the team.
[players chattering]
[Sonya] Stephen! Good job, good job.
Stephen!
[person] How old is he?
[Sonya] Fifteen. But he hasn't hit puberty yet.
[Sonya] I asked the doctor, I was starting to get worried.
[Stephen] In my freshman year in high school,
it was the first time I started to think about, "What if I don't grow?"
But also, like, "I know I can play."
It never killed my love for the game.
But it was a very difficult time,
'cause I had to learn how to embrace the challenge of it.
[Dell] His sophomore year, he said, "I wanna play in college."
He's, you know, probably, at that time,
5'10", 5'11". Skinny.
He's shooting from his waist.
You know, younger co-- in high school, you can get away with that,
but I'm like, "Okay, if you wanna pl-- go to the next level,
y-you gotta change your shot from your waist. You gotta get up here."
[players chattering]
You gotta develop a totally different set of muscles to make a change like that.
[players chattering, shouting]
Stephen was all in for the idea of it,
until Dell took him out in the back and he had to start shooting.
[Dell] It was a tough summer. Me and Sonya, we both worked with him.
For probably the first week, he's just shooting right under the basket.
Shot after shot, for hours every day.
[Stephen] I was lost for a while.
For three months, I literally couldn't shoot outside of the paint.
[Sonya] And he was just struggling.
He was like, "I don't wanna do this.
Why do I have to do this? I can't keep going."
And I was like, "So, you have a choice, Son.
You always have choices.
If this is too frustrating for you and you don't feel that it's valuable,
stop now, go back to what you've-- how you've been shooting,
and let's move on with this thing.
But if you really are buying into what your dad has prescribed for you,
keep going."
[inhales deeply, exhaling sharply]
Nice. Release there.
Three. Four. Four. Two.
[Payne] Here we go.
[breathing heavily]
[Payne] Add a tennis ball to that.
That's it.
[Stephen breathing deeply]
[speaks indistinctly]
SLDL.
[Stephen exhales deeply]
Forty-five. Forty-five. Here we go.
Watch, watch, watch. Coming here.
[stammers] I got it.
[speaks indistinctly]
- [Stephen groans] - [Payne] Minus one.
Even. Keep flowing. Just let it flow.
- [assistant coach 1] Keep up. Keep going. - [Payne] Lines.
- Hustle. - [assistant coach 2] Come on.
[assistant coach 1] Beat, one, two.
- [Payne] Get in. Get in! Game. - Come on! Hey!
[Payne] Perfection to finish.
[assistant coach 2] Yeah!
- Alternating range. Perfection to finish. - [coaches cheering]
Come on. Way to shoot it, way to shoot it, way to shoot it.
Good job, man. Good job, man.
[groans]
[Harshaw] Hey, y'all. Welcome to Rightnowish.
I'm your host, Pendarvis Harshaw.
[newscaster 1] The Bay Bridge still backed up to the overpasses,
-and there's also a report of a cra-- - [radio frequency change]
[announcer 1] 95.7 The Game.
[sportscaster 1] In an absolute clunker in the Big Easy,
the Warriors lose to the Pels 101-96. They fall to 29-9.
[sportscaster 2] Should the Warriors be worried?
Since their first 20 games, they have been significantly worse.
-They're just not as dominant. - [frequency change]
[sportscaster 3] I just keep thinking back to the young version of the Warriors
from a few years ago, because they're not built the same way.
-It's just not the same team. - [frequency change]
[sportscaster 2] And if Steph isn't gonna be MVP Steph,
I don't think that the Warriors are legitimate contenders.
[fans cheering]
[announcer 1] And starting at number 20 is a Junior.
Steven Curry.
[person filming] That's Stephen Curry, you bum.
What?
Man, that was nuts.
Man, that is crazy. That is...
[buzzer sounds]
[Brown] In my mind, I was thinking, "Oh, that was interesting.
He wasn't doing that last year.
There's some improvement here.
Look at his shot. Look at his pace. Look at how he creates."
[fans cheering, applauding]
- [cheering continues] - [announcer, on PA] Stephen Curry!
[Brown] There is just an art to what this kid is doing out on the floor,
and there is a drive to be the absolute best.
[Stephen] I started to play pretty well in my junior year.
And it created a little bit of a buzz.
I wanted nothing more than to go to Virginia Tech.
My mom and my dad both went there.
My dad's jersey's hanging in the rafters.
There was a lot of conversation around "were they gonna recruit me?"
[Dell] So, the Virginia Tech coach came to the house.
And he said, "You can definitely play. No doubt. We see the skill.
But we don't have a spot here.
Well, he's too little. He's gonna get pushed around.
He's not big enough to play, um, major D1 basketball."
[Stephen] I think that speaks to how much I didn't pass the height test.
But I really felt like I could play with all those guys,
if I can just get an opportunity somewhere.
[whistle blows]
- [Davidson coach] Hey, let's go! - [whistle blows]
[applause]
Well, today it was clear you played as if it was not robotic,
as if I'm not trying to get through practice.
It was as-- It was a gift. It was a gift to have this opportunity to play,
and that's the way you played today.
So obviously you played well, obviously you played with confidence,
and obviously we got better.
So we accomplished a lot today, all because of your attitude. Tremendous.
Okay, now we gotta keep this going.
- One, two, three, TCC. - [players, coaches] TCC!
[all chatter indistinctly]
[McKillop] In 2005, several stories in The Charlotte Observer popped up
about someone named Stephen Curry playing for Charlotte Christian.
We started to pay attention.
Not so much, uh, as a high-profile focus of ours
but someone who we should just go and watch.
[Matheny] Steph was mentioned as a player,
but it wasn't like,
"We have to go down to Charlotte Christian and see Steph Curry play.
You can't believe it when you see him play." It was just a mention.
[McKillop] I don't believe many schools had walked in to watch Stephen play.
[fan 1] Yeah!
[McKillop] But we watched. We saw. We liked.
It was interesting, because he missed shots,
he made turnovers, he made bad plays.
But he never stopped playing.
The next opportunity he had, he would make a spectacular play.
He showed a real emotional toughness, which is so rare.
So, we decided that we were gonna recruit him.
[Matheny] In the beginning, I remember having very good conversations
with Steph about Davidson, uh, about his game.
So we were feeling really, really good.
And then all of a sudden, I couldn't get Steph on the phone.
And I had the sense that, "Oh, no.
That means all these colleges are now getting involved,
and it's starting to-- to blow up on us."
So, I-I started to panic.
I start reaching out to his high school coach.
I start reaching out to people around him.
And still nothing.
And I-I finally, about ten days later, get Steph on the phone.
And he goes, "Yeah, Coach, my mother took my phone away from me.
A friend of mine text me a curse word.
I-I didn't send the text. A friend se-- sent a curse word to me,
so my mother took my phone away for two weeks."
[chuckling]
- [referee] Let's go! - [fans cheering, shouting]
[Stephen] At that point, when I realized that other offers weren't coming,
it became very clear that I was on a different journey.
[announcer, on PA] Three-point basket is good.
But Coach McKillop painted a vision of what Davidson could mean for me,
what him coaching me could mean for me reaching my full potential.
[fans cheering, shouting]
[McKillop] That year, we were losing seven seniors.
And I think Stephen saw an opportunity for himself
and we told him about that opportunity.
I think that excited him, and that was even one more, um,
piece of the puzzle for him as he made his decision.
So, Matt Matheny and I drove into Charlotte,
sat down with everyone together to answer every question
that they might have about Davidson.
We were two or three minutes into, uh, the conversation,
and Steph said, "Stop.
Coach, just stop a second."
And he says, "I've made my decision.
I wanna be a Wildcat."
And we were like, "Oh, my gosh, that's fantastic!"
We were dancing in the living room.
There was a shot of adrenaline.
There was, um,
the sense that we just got a steal. [chuckles]
No one knows how good this guy's gonna be.
He is a perfect fit for what we do.
[Stephen] So, before Coach left, my mom thanked him for the opportunity.
And the last thing she said was,
"Don't worry, Coach, we'll fatten him up for you."
And Coach turned around and looked at her and was like,
"Don't-- Don't worry about that. We'll take him just the way he is."
That gave me so much confidence in terms of his appreciation for,
uh, what I bring to the table.
Like...
I'm different, but I have something to-- to offer.
I felt great.
I really felt like I had made the right decision.
[crowd chattering]
So, I went to watch a school football game two or three days later,
and I told, like, all my friends, like,
"Yo, I-- I know where I'm going to school next year.
I'm going to Davidson."
And nobody knew where it was. [chuckles] It was like--
like, that hype in that moment for me was so dope,
and then nobody could really meet me on that level emotionally,
like, to celebrate it with me. [chuckles]
[relative 1] Look at this one.
[Sonya] I remember when Coach McKillop came to recruit Stephen at the house...
[relative 2] Mm-hmm.
...one of the things that he said, um, to Stephen was,
"I can get you on stage.
- It's up to you what you'll do." - [Mercedes] Hmm.
[Sonya] What I liked so much is that
it's not even necessarily about proving other people wrong.
- It's about proving... - [Mercedes] It's himself.
- ...himself right. - [Lexus] Exactly. Yep.
[relative 3] It was just, like, a different time.
- [Lexus] Yeah. - You know?
He was so itty-bitty
- and everybody was picking on him... - [Mercedes] Mm-hmm.
- ...talking about he was too small to play. - [Mercedes] Mmm.
[Candy] You remember when the man was up in the stands,
and he was calling them punks and stuff?
- I said, "Say one more thing... - [Mercedes giggles]
- ...I'ma bust you in your mouth." - [Sonya laughs]
- I was gonna climb over that seat. - [Mercedes, Sonya laughs]
- [Mercedes] Not climb over the seat. - [Candy] I told him,
-"Don't talk about my grandson." - [Mercedes, Sonya, Lexus laughing]
- I remember. -"Don't talk about my grandson."
[Mercedes, Lexus, Candy chuckling]
[Sonya] Remember I used to say he looked like the Cabbage Patch doll?
[Mercedes, Lexus giggle]
[Sonya] He was definitely an unplanned pregnancy.
'Cause I wanted to get through college first.
And then I brought Stephen back with me,
- Seth back. - [Mercedes] Mm-hmm.
Stephen was two and a half, and he turned three when I graduated.
[Lexus] How'd you have time for homework? [giggles]
- I know. - [Lexus] You just did it.
You just did it. I really wanted to get my degree.
- I get emotional thinking about it. - [Lexus] Mm-hmm. Definitely.
[Sonya] I was the first one in my family to get my degree,
and to me it was always like something was unfinished.
When Stephen decided to declare for the NBA a year early,
I wanted him to really understand
how important it was for him to get his degree.
But then also,
Stephen is the only player who has not gotten their degree
under the tutelage of Coach McKillop.
So, it has been a-- a thorn in his side from me.
Um, and then he'll be like, "I just won three championships."
- And I'm like... - [Lexus chuckles]
..."You're right. Now get the diploma championship."
[all laughing]
[door shuts]
- [child 1] Daddy? - [Stephen] Yes?
- Can I get a snack? - A snack?
- Yeah. - Yes. You can get a snack.
Like, a tomato or something.
[Curry family chattering]
[keyboard clacking]
Oh, man, if y'all would've saw me in summer school 2012.
During a lockout, my second year in the league,
pulling up to Davidson's campus in a G-Wagen at 8:00 a.m. [chuckles]
And then the lockout ended abruptly, and that's why it's an incomplete now.
Couldn't get through the first semester.
[laptop chiming]
[instructor] Hi. How are y'all doing?
Hello. How are you?
[child 1] That's my doctor.
-Yeah, I'm doing okay. [chuckles] - [Stephen, relative 4 chuckles]
- [Kaufman] No, not that kind of doctor. - [Stephen laughs]
- [Stephen] Can you say hi? - [Kaufman] Hi.
[Stephen] That's the crew.
- Canon, Riley and Ryan. - He's in third grade.
- [stammers] No, he's-- - [Kaufman] Oh, they are adorable.
- Canon is not in third-- What's Canon in? - Preschool.
- [Kaufman chuckles] - Yes.
Um, I'm glad to catch up though. I know we've got a lot to talk about.
[Kaufman] Yes. So, is this the year?
I-- I-- I hope so.
[Kaufman] You're going to finish your degree?
Is there a particular reason you wanna do it now?
For one, for my kids to see the process, um, now that they're a little older
and know-- um, you know, how-- how important this is.
But also, I kinda got a gr-- a handle on everything on the court and off the court
more than I think I ever have and so, trying to, uh, not let this drift on,
you know, any longer.
[Kaufman] Well, that's great.
So, next up, you'll be sending me some ideas for writing a thesis.
Absolutely. Thanks, Dr. Kaufman.
-Okay. See ya. - See you later.
- Daddy. - [Stephen] Yes.
Wha-- What are you gonna do at school?
[Stephen, relative laugh]
[relative] Oh, my God. [chuckles]
You're not going to school?
[Stephen] I am going to school now. I'm going to school like you now.
All righty... [sighs] ...let the work begin.
- [applause] - [crowd cheering, whistling]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the floor
your 2006-2007 Davidson Wildcats!
[announcer] A 6'8" sophomore forward from Benin City, Nigeria,
number 41, Andrew Lovedale!
A 6'2'' junior guard from Barrington, Illinois,
number two, Jason Richards!
A 6-foot freshman guard from Charlotte, North Carolina,
number 30, Steph Curry!
Introducing your 2006-2007 Davidson College basketball team!
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[coach] We had just lost a bunch of seniors that were an NCAA tournament team.
And, you know, we had so many new faces on campus
and there was a lot of doubt.
It's gonna take a couple of years for these guys to get going.
[crowd chattering]
Our team is young. They wanna be great.
And our team needs you!
[crowd cheering]
They wanna be great! Thank you!
[McKillop] We had no idea how good we were gonna be
or how bad we were gonna be. We-- We just didn't have a feel for it.
So, it meant that Stephen Curry would have to be a home run for us
in order for us to be successful.
[chuckles] A home run.
[teammate 1] We needed him,
but a lot of questions around what type of player
Steph would be early on.
'Cause he was ti-- He was small.
Um, you know, probably, like, 150 pounds soaking wet with his shoes on.
My first impression was that, this guy is so skinny,
how is he going to, uh, hold up?
I didn't think that he could, you know, hang with us.
And I thought I would probably crush him, but... [laughs]
[players, coaches chattering]
[Stephen] It was my first day of practice at Davidson,
and Coach McKillop put me with Jason Richards, our captain point guard.
And Jay Rich is killing me, like, every time he touched the ball, he scores.
And I can't get to stop him.
I'm getting tired, I'm getting flustered, I'm getting overwhelmed.
Coach is old-school. Coach is New York.
He finds out how far he can push you
and kind of pushes you to that limit.
He had prepared this whole scenario.
He had a, uh, white handkerchief in his pocket.
And I took out the handkerchief that I always carry in my back pocket.
And I waved it, and I said, "You..."
"You wanna surrender, don't you?
You wanna surrender, don't you?" He kept saying over and over.
"Here, take it. You wanna surrender, go ahead, take it."
The message was, you're on your own...
[players, coaches chattering]
...and you gotta figure it out.
[player] Shot!
I got that.
[McKillop] Our first game of the season, we had to travel to Ann Arbor, Michigan.
It was a preseason tournament hosted by the University of Michigan.
We played Eastern Michigan...
and it was Steph's first ever game at Davidson.
- [crowd cheering, clamoring] - [whistle blowing]
[whistle blows]
[whistle blowing]
[Stephen] I turned the ball over 13 times in the game.
And I was peptalking myself, like, you know, "Figure this out, man."
Like, "What the hell are you doing out there?"
But I was just overwhelmed by everything.
[Richards] I remember walking out of the gym.
I remember being in the locker room and thinking to myself,
"This is gonna be a long year." [chuckles]
[McKillop] The thought was, "We just can't keep playing him."
So, as a coaching staff, we had to decide,
what are we gonna do?
[crowd cheering]
[sportscaster] Step-back three on the way.
But he can't find the three ball yet.
Curry is one of six from beyond the arc.
One of nine on threes.
One of 12.
[stammers] It's just not there for Steph tonight.
[player yelps]
[sportscaster 2] The shooting has just been horrific.
The struggle is real right now.
[Bonta Hill] And the Warriors,
despite scoring only 11 points in the fourth quarter,
they figure out a way to beat the Utah Jazz,
as we welcome everybody to Warriors Postgame Live,
presented by Toyota.
I am Bonta Hill, that is Festus Ezeli, NBA champ.
Dorell Wright will join us a little bit later.
Look, Steph Curry was struggling tonight. Five of 20 from the floor.
-He only finished with 13 points... - [crowd cheering]
...and he was one of 13 from the three-point line.
The month of January continues to be a rough one for Stephen Curry, Karen.
What are you seeing from opposing defenses,
which is stifling Steph Curry and forcing him into this poor shooting level?
[car horn blares]
[director] Action.
So we're taking this to Italy because Subway now has Italian-style capicola.
[director] Cut. That's pretty good. Can we get some stuff on the bottom?
[crew chattering]
I'm a little self-conscious 'cause I feel like my eyes are half closed every take,
but apparently they like it so far, so...
It's kind of fun actually.
Even when you're running on two hours of sleep. [laughs]
[man 2 whistles]
[man 2] There he is! [laughs]
- [Stephen] Hold on. - [crew laughing]
[Stephen] You are unbelievable.
Hey, I got the stat sheet when Kobe scored 62 in the Garden.
- [Stephen exclaims] - [Lee] So if you could just--
- Where the-- Just sign. - [Stephen] Absolutely.
- [Lee] To me, please. - [Stephen] Absolutely.
The Garden loves you, man.
- New York loves you, man. - [Stephen] Hey, I--
That's the thing I got a newfound appreciation for.
- Love, man. Nothing but love. - Hey. Thank you, man.
And I hope you guys get another ring.
- Absolutely. We're on the way. - I'm pulling for you.
I appreciate it.
[Canon groans]
[Canon] I would like some more food.
I would like some more food.
You got it. It's right there.
You're eating it. You're putting it in your mouth.
- I'm only giving you a little bit. - I want a big one.
I love you.
Here.
Let's see if it works.
[Riley] Are you writing down your workout?
Yes, I am.
[Riley] How do you spell hakuna?
[Stephen] H-A-K-U-N-A.
- [Riley] H-A-K-U... - [Stephen] Show your muscles.
Where your muscles at?
- [groaning, mumbling] - [Stephen laughs]
Where your muscles at? Like this.
- I can't do it. - Why?
My neck is hurting.
Oh, your neck is hurting? All right, bye.
Go get some treatment.
[whistling]
[breathing heavily]
[crowd clamoring]
[Stephen] Everything that could go wrong went wrong
in my first game against Eastern Michigan.
So, it was just a shock when Coach McKillop said,
"You're gonna start the next game."
- [crowd cheering, whistling] - [announcer speaking indistinctly]
[Stephen] I got a second chance,
but there were extreme stakes for my future as a basketball player.
How would I respond to failure? How would I respond in that moment?
I felt such an urgency to that.
- [whistle blows] - [players chattering, grunting]
- [crowd clamoring] - [whistle blows]
[horn blares]
[crowd cheering]
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[announcer, through PA] Stephen Curry with a three-point basket.
[announcer] Stephen Curry.
Basket by Stephen Curry.
[Stephen] I had 32, I think, in the second game of my career.
We lost to Michigan, but it was a moment of energy for me.
Had he benched me and kind of dimmed the light a little bit,
who knows how it would've played out.
But it was one of the more memorable nights, just because, you know,
reminding myself or convincing myself that, you know,
I was who I thought I was at that level.
[Matheny] For a freshman to have 32 points in any game was very unique.
So, when we came back to Davidson,
people around town were talking.
It was the first time people started to take notice.
But when I say people, I mean really just people at Davidson.
- [crowd clamoring] - [person filming 2] I'm recording.
[announcer] And now, your Davidson Wildcats.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
A 6-foot freshman guard from Charlotte, North Carolina,
number 30, Steph Curry!
[crowd chanting] Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
[announcer] Three pointer for Steph Curry!
[writer] I remember sitting there thinking,
"That's unusual, that this tiny freshman
has the level of green light to take a three so quickly,
miss a three and then take another one and make it
in, like, the first handful of seconds of the game."
[crowd cheering, clamoring]
[mouthing] Let's go!
[Kruse] It was undeniably compelling.
Felt like this was the start of a story I needed to watch.
And it also felt like at Davidson, Stephen Curry was sort of our secret.
[student] ♪ Davidson Show ♪
[students] ♪ There ain't no party like a D-Show party ♪
[student] ♪ Gonna take you high ♪
[students] ♪ Shake your booty From side to side ♪
The Davidson Show,
this wildly popular student-produced variety program
people find funny.
Oh, hey, guys. What's up?
- Oh, hey, guys. - Whoo-hoo.
- What's up? - Excuse me. [coughs]
Hey, welcome to The Davidson Show takeover.
- It is Monday night. - We only got two words for you...
Hang out.
♪ I love Commons Hey ♪
♪ Chicken biscuits Hey ♪
♪ Where's my grilled cheese? Hey ♪
♪ I love Commons ♪
[staff chattering]
♪ The Outpost might be open later ♪
♪ But Allison cannot flavor your tater ♪
♪ Chester's du jour is all I'm here for ♪
♪ Skipped class today ♪
♪ And all I could say is Um... ♪
[Stephen] Going to Davidson, basketball was important,
but it-- it wasn't necessarily, like, the thing that dominated every single day.
[students chattering]
I was going to class.
I was doing homework.
It was also a time to have fun
and kind of exploring and finding yourself.
My freshman year,
I had an opportunity to kind of have a normal college experience.
And it just kept me enjoying the moment.
[crowd clamoring, cheering]
[mouthing] Go.
[Stephen] On the court, our team was playing well.
It surprised people that we were winning games.
And slowly the hype started to build at Davidson.
[Biggers] Everything was really exciting.
But it was such an interesting time
because very few people actually saw it.
Social media was very new.
And Davidson was in the Southern Conference at the time,
which is a real wrinkle in the story.
[crowd clamoring, cheering]
It's a small conference.
Very few games on TV.
A couple maybe streamed on the Internet.
So, if you wanted to see Stephen Curry,
you had to go be there in person.
[crowd cheering]
What's up, everybody?
Let's go! Let's do it. Let's do it.
What's up? What's up? What's up? [cheers]
[camera clicks]
- Great to see you. Absolutely. - [fan] Can he get a picture?
[cheers]
[keyboard clacking]
[packaging popping]
[Curry family chattering]
[boat horn blaring]
[laptop chiming]
[Stephen] So, I would love to, kind of, just start with--
I sent you that document last night with just an update of where I'm at,
looking at gender and... [stammers] ...inequality in the realm of sports.
And hopefully, there's enough meat on the bone to kinda--
you know, get some feedback from you on if I'm in the right direction.
[Kaufman] Yeah. Yeah, sure.
So, I think that you have a lot of strong material.
We're in a unusual situation here
because you already are involved in all of this and doing a lot.
And so, it has great potential.
So maybe it could be more of a living work of... [stammers] ...impact, I guess,
in terms of what it-- what it could be used for,
after this whole process.
[Kaufman] Absolutely.
[crowd clamoring, cheering]
[McKillop] In Steph's first year at Davidson,
we had exceeded expectations.
We made it to the NCAA tournament,
and we had a chance to grab the golden ring
in Steph's first experience in a tournament game.
[commentator] Thirteenth seed Davidson against fourth seed Maryland.
Davidson, this small little school about 20 miles outside of Charlotte.
Oh! Right over the 7-foot Bowers of Maryland. What a shot.
[commentator 2] Are you kidding me? Oh, my goodness.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] Nice slap away by Osby.
Great steal.
Turnover for Davidson.
Curry. Knocked away. Sloppy pass.
- [whistle blowing] -They're falling apart.
And the Maryland Terrapins will advance.
They beat Davidson this afternoon,
and it was a very competitive game between thirteenth-seeded Davidson
and the fourth seed Maryland Terrapins.
[McKillop] When you are an underdog, you have to take what is yours.
And that became a theme for us.
So, after that game,
we immediately thrust ourselves into a mindset of,
we can't let this slip through our hands again.
The next season, most of our players, Steph included, were actually returning.
So we really felt like, "Let's go for all the marbles."
We decided
that we were gonna try to play one of the most difficult schedules
in the country that year.
We thought if we could win these tough games,
maybe we can get a better seed in the NCAA tournament.
And we could finally advance.
[crowd cheering, clamoring]
[commentator] Davidson trying to upset the number one team in the country.
Bob McKillop said his team will run with North Carolina.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] Ellington. Oh!
[cheering continues]
[commentator] And Carolina is going to survive Davidson College.
[commentator 1] You can feel the tension.
Davidson, looks like they've got an opportunity against the Blue Devils.
[commentator 2] And it was a close game.
[commentator 3] The Davidson Wildcats once again
are facing a top-ten team coming in here.
Westbrook right back, drives in, scores.
Russell Westbrook making it look so easy.
[commentator 1] 3.9 seconds...
for Davidson to try to win it.
[commentator 2] It's a one-point game.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 3] It's gonna be Curry.
Fells all over him, at the buzzer!
[cheering continues]
[McKillop] We were going home for Christmas with a 4-6 record.
Everyone felt like we had failed the mission.
And it just looked like our season could go south.
It could cause you to doubt.
It could shatter your confidence.
How were we gonna be able to take that next step?
Because I still felt that we were right there.
One possession here, one difference there,
and... [stammers] ...we could have won those four games.
We were talented enough. We belonged.
And I wanted them to be certain that they understood that we belonged.
[Rossiter] Coach McKillop believed in us so much,
and he thought we had such a special group.
But we kinda had, like, that come-to-Jesus moment.
He sat us all down for a film session.
And he went around to every person and, like, kinda called out,
like, you know, what they needed to do better or differently.
Then he gets to Steph.
And he just goes off
and just tears into Steph for a couple minutes.
How Steph wasn't living up to his responsibilities
and how he wasn't getting it done.
[Stephen] You can call it reprimanding.
You can call it being direct. You can call it motivating.
At the end of the day, the message was,
every piece has to work for us to be competitive at the highest level.
We know we're not the most athletic.
We're not the most talented, the tallest, the fastest.
But if we can play like a team in unison,
we can compete with anybody in the country.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[Stephen] And we gotta show that we can do it.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[commentator 1] Now to Curry.
Curry's turned that one over.
The Warriors turn it over again.
- [whistle blows] - [commentator 2] It's a little alarming.
[commentator 3] Into Jokic.
-Out to Morris. A three to win! - [buzzer sounds]
- [whistles blows] - [crowd cheering]
[commentator 3] Denver wins it at the buzzer.
[Mike Breen] James tries another three. That's good! James from downtown.
James sees an opening. Drives inside and the flush.
-Monk, alley-oop to James! - [crowd cheering]
[buzzer sounds]
[commentator 3] This will be just another
in a series of disappointing losses for the Warriors.
[sportscaster] Golden State has lost eight out of ten games.
Golden State is reeling.
Golden State is cratering right before your very eyes.
[reporter] What is the concern level overall about this stretch?
Giving in to, you know, a losing mentality,
like, we're not that team.
I'm not gonna let us be that team.
We cannot give in to this losing spirit
of just finding different ways to lose basketball games.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[commentator] Golden State has seven turnovers
for a very seemingly disjointed and disconcerted offense right now.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator 1] Klay, good defense on Tatum.
Knocked it away.
It's Smart that got on the deck though. Tatum forgot the ball.
It's a three on one.
And Steph was involved in that initial collision,
and he's trying to work out a few things.
[commentator 2] Steph Curry's actually hobbling.
[commentator 1] Oh, wow. Yep.
Uh, Steph is gonna get that left ankle looked at.
[Sander] In that moment, it felt like, "Did we just squander the season?"
[crowd cheering, whistling]
We felt like we were good.
But the question was, in our minds,
when are we gonna finally push through?
And-- And... [stammers] ...once we do it, like, what is it gonna look like?
[McKillop] At that point,
we were playing in a lower-level conference.
And it meant that...
the only chance that we had to qualify for the NCAA tournament
was winning the Southern Conference Championship.
[Stephen] We knew we were right there.
But we also knew, we have to be damn near perfect.
[chuckles]
[cheering, clamoring]
[whistle blows]
[crowd cheering]
[announcer] Three pointer, Jason Richards. Richards.
[announcer] Three pointer, Stephen Curry.
[commentator] Jason Richards.
Good pass inside, and the bucket and a foul.
[crowd cheering]
[commentator] The Davidson Wildcats, they've won 22 straight.
They're heading to the NCAA tournament.
[buzzer sounds]
[commentator] Congratulations, Bob McKillop, Stephen Curry.
Davidson getting it done.
[Lovedale] We were just feeling this excitement
that we're going back to the dance,
because we did what we were supposed to do to get that opportunity.
And Coach would always remind us,
we just need to be playing our best basketball in March.
[Kruse] That team, after starting 4-6,
just ran the table in the Southern Conference.
20-0.
And we started to feel that something special was happening.
Davidson had not experienced an NCAA tournament win since 1969.
And in the many years since then,
they have come close.
But only close.
So, I think we felt, watching this team,
that this was the best chance
that Davidson had had in many of our lifetimes.
[Gumbel] Good evening, everyone. I'm Greg Gumbel.
Welcome to our New York studios
and the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show.
Just a short while ago, Division I Men's Basketball Committee
adjourned after finishing up this year's tournament bracket.
It is now time to reveal the Midwest Region.
The number seven seed in the Midwest, the Bulldogs of Gonzaga, out of the WCC.
-And they'll take on the Davidson-- - [crowd cheering]
[cheering, whistling]
[Stephen] When we got on the bus and drove up to Raleigh,
all my senses went through the roof.
I can still picture the arena.
Just the sights and the sounds.
[McKillop] Go, go, go!
[no audible dialogue]
[Stephen] I was nervous for sure.
When you go to an NCAA practice, there's more cameras.
It's a different energy and a different vibe.
Even just seeing your same jerseys with the NCAA patch on it,
you know this is different.
And for us, we definitely felt the pressure,
knowing that this was our best chance to make some noise in the tournament.
[crowd cheering, whistling]
[Jim Nantz] Davidson and Gonzaga. The Wildcats and the Bulldogs.
Davidson College,
last year got knocked out by Maryland in the first round.
But this season, riding a 22-game win streak,
longest in the nation.
And for Bob McKillop,
this is the fifth time he's directed Davidson College to the NCAA tournament.
[Billy Packer] Has yet to win one though, Jim.
[Nantz] That's a three by Steven Gray.
[Packer] Curry gets caught. Gray gets another open look.
[Nantz] And he's now knocked down two from behind the arc.
Rejected by Lovedale.
Gray now, for the third time hits a three.
Gray. Still hasn't missed! He's five for five.
A 13-2 run by Gonzaga.
[Packer] Davidson's starting to panic a little bit, Jim,
and the fact that this game is getting away from 'em.
Dangerous time for Davidson right now.
Gonzaga in total control.
[no audible dialogue]
[whistle blows]
[crowd cheering]
[Nantz] Curry with the steal. Taking on Bouldin. And one.
Curry, right back with a three.
[Packer] And there's room.
[Nantz] Curry again!
This kid's amazing.
They're a Curry three away from tying it.
Here it is. We're all tied in Raleigh.
A 17-6 run.
He is lighting it up.
Ninety seconds remaining. Game tied.
Two great teams, a season coming down to the last minute.
Richards on the baseline. Kicks it corner.
[Packer] Line drive.
[Nantz] They had to beat the shot clock. Gosselin.
And Lovedale keeps it for 'em. Curry! Oh!
[Packer] Are you kidding me?
[Nantz] And he points over to his parents.
- [crowd cheering] - [whistle blows]
[Nantz] In the arms of Curry.
America had heard about him, and now we know about him.
A star on the NCAA tournament stage.
Stephen Curry leads Davidson into the second round.
[Sonya] I remember thinking, "What the heck is going on?"
Like, "You-- What are you doing? [stammers] How are you doing this?"
And, like, almost like, "W-- Why are you doing this?
And is this real?"
[Stephen] That's probably to this day
one of my favorite moments as a basketball player.
Playing in the tournament that you grew up watching.
But just knowing, like, you're doing something historically special.
Being this small Division I college
that hadn't won a tournament game in a long time
and you're breaking through.
[Lovedale] It just felt like something changed almost immediately for us.
The big thing that happens after that is, "We can do this, right?"
[McKillop] This was our moment,
because winning that game finally showed...
we belonged.
[Matheny] Winning our first NCAA tournament game was just magical.
It's like you're floating almost.
But our first-round game against Gonzaga
was one of the first games of the tournament.
So we go back to the hotel,
and we have roughly 48 hours to prepare for the next game.
So our players take advantage of that time,
and they do their homework.
[Stephen] It's still hilarious to me
that in the biggest basketball moment of the year,
we're all in the hallway with other students, doing papers.
But that's just the Davidson experience.
And it's the best thing in the world.
It's still funny to me. [chuckles]
- [announcer] Here we go. - [announcer 2] March Madness!
[Nantz] In Greenville, South Carolina, Davidson, the Wildcats,
-taking on Michigan State, the Spartans. - [clapping]
The winner to face Duke on Sunday on this floor.
Let's go!
[Nantz] Game four. Hello, friends. Jim Nantz, Grant Hill, Bill Raftery.
Ready for one more, guys? Let's do it.
-What do you say? - Jim Nantz is good luck.
[imitating Nantz] Hello, friends.
[Richards] This is big. Bill Raftery's doing this game?
[imitates Raftery] With a kiss.
- [Nantz] Bob McKillop. Tom Izzo... - Takes it to the tin for two.
- [Nantz] Tom, older... - [Stephen, normal] Can-Can.
Say, "Go Cats."
Get buckets!
- [Stephen] Get buckets. That's right. Yes. - [Richards] Get buckets? [chuckles]
[Raftery] ...I think manhandled, in a sense. Loyer.
[Nantz] There he is, using power and strength.
[Hill] He's the one guy that can get a basket.
[Richards] Come on, Foster.
Feel you, bruh. I used to get picked on all the time.
[Raftery] Ooh.
[Nantz] Another pass sails.
[phone ringing]
[Raftery] Always in the right spot, this team.
[person] It's a Sparty party, baby! [laughing]
[Canon] Dad, I want candy. Daddy.
We just-- We just did a nasty turnover.
I like this though. We're right where-- We're right where we wanna be, baby.
'Cause y'all too comfortable right now.
Y'all think y'all can just turn it on and just blow us out by 20.
And one! [shouts]
[Nantz] His confidence is soaring.
I might-- I might-- I might have to send a halftime text.
- Dada, I don't want this. - Huh?
- I'ma holler at you. We're gonna talk. -Bye.
- [Nantz] Saw it right there. - Uh-oh. Silver fox.
[Nantz] Bob McKillop. We saw that '08 team.
My gosh, that was something special.
Had a pretty good player on that team too.
[Raftery] What's he doing now?
[Nantz] I haven't heard from him in years. [chuckles]
- [Hill chuckles] - [Nantz] Steph, we know you're watching.
[chuckles]
[Hill] Their great defense right here.
[Richards] I've never asked you this.
What was your thought when Lovedale got that rebound?
Against Gonzaga.
Dude, it was freaking like a song started playing.
And it was like a-- it was like a melody, 'cause I-- My first thought was like,
"Pass me the ball." And then... [stammers] ...I saw he had no hesitation.
Probably-- Probably the biggest play
- in Davidson history... - 1,000%.
- ...the offensive rebound. - 1,000%.
[crowd] Defense! Defense! Defense! Defense!
[sportscaster] If beating Gonzaga was getting over a hump,
the Wildcats' next opponent will be climbing a mountain.
Up next, second-seeded Georgetown and their 7-foot star center, Roy Hibbert.
[fans cheering]
[Dell] I remember, we were tailgating out in the parking lot.
We're having a good time.
And then I see Doc Rivers.
He's come to watch his son play for Georgetown.
And he's like, "Hey, Dell." I'm like, "Hey, Doc."
He goes, "Y'all-Y'all-Y'all... [stammers] ...guys have fun.
Enjoy yourself. It's, you know--
This is the last time you're gonna be doing this." [chuckles]
I went, "Look, there goes Doc. He thinks we don't have a chance."
I'm thinking, "The-- Is he right?"
I hadn't seen a lot of Georgetown, but it's Georgetown.
- [player] One, two, three. - [all] Wildcats.
- Let's have some fun, boys! - [Stephen] When we get to play Georgetown,
the ten versus the two seed,
I think most people were predicting that we had no chance.
We knew we had to play pretty much a perfect game to beat 'em.
But we felt we could do that.
[crowd cheering]
Whoo!
[Packer] Beautiful pass.
[Nantz] Curry gives it up, but that is swatted away.
[Nantz] Oh! Uh, that one was halfway down.
- [whistle blows] -Oh, Ewing drives for the dunk. And one.
Georgetown shooting over 70%, and they hit again.
[whistle blows]
[Nantz] And this lead now has ballooned to 17.
-My goodness. - [buzzer sounds]
They're holding Davidson to 27% shooting.
Boy, they shut you down better than anybody in the country.
[Richards] I just remember the moment. We're down 17 points.
We come to the bench.
And Coach is in the huddle...
and he's smiling.
And it was like, "What's going on here?
Is there something that we're missing?"
[Lovedale] It was surprising.
Coach was saying, "We're fine.
We did this against Gonzaga.
We've been here before."
[Packer] Right now, you can see why Georgetown worked
their way to a regular season number one in the Big East.
[Nantz] Tough pass. Richards with the steal.
That's Curry leading the break, and now the lob.
And the lay-in by Paulhus Gosselin.
Tipped out to Richards. Hoyas though got three men back.
- [whistle blows] - And one. It could be a four-point play.
[Packer] And how about this? They're pressing.
[Nantz] Curry, tough shot.
Ball on the floor and into the arms of Sander for the layup.
And it's down to nine.
Curry whips it inside. Lovedale easily for the layup.
[Packer] Beautiful pass!
[Nantz] Lovedale makes it a two-point game.
[Packer] What a pass.
[Nantz] What a nifty move. With a dipsy-- Oh!
Here's Curry. Oh, my goodness. Another three.
[crowd cheering]
[Nantz] The two in the Midwest is in serious jeopardy
after losing a 17-point second-half lead.
[Packer] And you do see the North Carolina fans now
getting into the action.
[Nantz] And they're rooting for this upstart mid-major Davidson,
out of the Charlotte area.
Well, you talk about a giant-killer.
- [Packer] This is big right here. - [Nantz] Yep.
What Davidson could pull off right here.
It's a four-point game, with nine seconds.
Wallace.
Shot up, Sapp.
-No. They-- [stammers] - [Packer] Oh, Lovedale.
[Nantz] And talk about David and Goliath,
I submit to you, Davidson College to the Sweet 16.
Hey! Let's go, everybody!
- It's all y'all! All y'all right here! - [speaks indistinctly]
[no audible dialogue]
[Richards] In the moment, you don't know the magnitude of what's going on.
But the next day, my roommate and I,
Thomas Sander, was going to the local gas station to f-fill up gas.
[Sander] I'm there filling up, and somebody comes out of the store.
And she goes, "Oh, hey. You're the guy in the newspaper."
So, I look over, and on the USA Today, it's Steph-Steph and I
in probably one of the most awkward hugs
you'll ever get from... [stammers] ...a celebration.
That's when it started to really feel a l-little different.
Like, this is a little bit bigger than we ever expected.
This isn't supposed to happen.
Davidson's not supposed to beat Georgetown.
Davidson's not supposed to beat Georgetown down 17 in the second half.
Stephen Curry looks like a little kid, but he has got the game of a grown man.
Get familiar!
[panelist] Stephen Curry. I mean this is unbelievable.
You're down 17 in the NCAA tournament.
The kid played with ice water in his veins.
Really, one of the great stories
in college basketball is Curry at Davidson.
It's a wonderful story. Wasn't recruited by others and ended up there--
We had him in our camp.
- And-- And missed him? - Missed him?
- He was about 5'6". - [chuckles] Oh.
They are now the darlings of America. Even though they're not the lowest seed,
they are obviously the Cinderella in this tournament.
And good morning to you from the campus of Davidson College.
You know what, Maggie? The last time this college was in the Sweet 16 was 1969.
And we've got the entire campus out here.
Folks, much more from Davidson College coming up in just a little while.
Harry, Maggie, we'll send it back to you in New York.
[Goldberg] Coming up on today's Locked On NBA, we rank the playoff teams
in order of which ones have the best chance of making the finals.
[Mares] This is the easiest pick in the world for me.
It's gotta be the Phoenix Suns.
[show host 1] Phoenix is the best team in the NBA.
[show host 2] I think the Suns are gonna win it all this year.
[show host 1] 1,000%.
[show host 3] The Golden State Warriors are much more
about the sum of their parts,
and they haven't been on the court at all together, their three star players.
[show host 4] It's really as simple as, is Steph healthy?
[show host 5] It's gonna be a close call about his availability on Saturday.
[show host 6] Honestly, if he's not right, I don't think they get to the West finals.
[show host 1] I feel like I know to a degree who Golden State is,
but Klay not playing for two years, trying to find his way,
Steph coming off the injury this late in the season.
There's some questions around
whether they will be that team hitting on all cylinders.
[Ayesha] I can't wait to see you in a little bit.
[Stephen] Can't wait to see you too. I love you.
I love you more. I'm so excited.
- Me too. - [Ayesha] Have a great--
Have a great game. I'll be watching, rooting and praying for you.
Thank you, baby.
[Ayesha] Get buckets.
And you know it.
- [Ayesha] Oh, hey. - What's up?
[Ayesha] Have fun out there.
I will.
[fans cheering]
[fans continue cheering]
[McKillop] As we left for Detroit to go to the Sweet 16,
the streets of Davidson were lined with people
as if it was a Fourth of July parade.
And, uh...
it was as if you never wanted the ride to end.
[Richards] The excitement was unbelievable.
And we started talking about, where are we playing next, which arena.
And someone said, "We're going to Ford Field."
Oh, we're playing at a football stadium.
[Stephen] Playing in a football stadium,
it was an environment we had never been in before.
But we were so comfortable, I think, in that moment,
'cause we were playing with unlimited confidence
that we were supposed to be there.
[Matheny] So, we were driving back from shootaround before the game,
and I got a phone call.
It was some Nike executives,
and they said, "We just got a call from LeBron.
He wants to come to your Sweet 16 game against Wisconsin tonight.
Can he get eight tickets?"
And my first thought was, "You gotta be kidding me."
[buzzer sounds]
[no audible dialogue]
[Stephen] Hearing that Bron was gonna be at the game,
we didn't know what to do with ourselves.
But also, we didn't know that the Davidson Board of Trustees
was gonna sponsor busloads of our students to come to Detroit.
[students cheering]
So we had a huge contingency of fans show up,
and it was a scene.
[fans cheering]
[fans] Whoo!
[fan] Hi, Mrs. Curry.
- [Sonya] Whoo! - [fan 1] Yeah!
[fans] Go! Go, go, go! Yeah! Defense! Defense! Defense!
[spectators cheering]
[Gus Johnson] Curry, four to shoot. He's gotta fire and does.
And has! That's another three.
Richards, he's got Curry on the wing. He's gonna spot up. There he goes.
And rips it!
Folks, we got a star in the Motor City!
- Finds a cutting Curry. - [whistle blows]
Oh, my goodness!
[laughs] Young fella!
[mouthing] Oh!
[no audible dialogue]
[spectators cheering]
[Johnson] And how about this?
The Davidson Wildcats running Wisconsin out of the gym.
[fan screaming]
This is incredible. We're about to go to the Elite Eight!
[screams]
This is amazing.
Are you crying?
[spectators cheering, applauding]
[Kruse] As a Davidson sports fan,
that game almost rejiggered my expectations.
It was no longer what a thrill, and in some ways, what a surprise.
It was...
"Is-- Are they the best team in the country?"
[Johnson] Downtown Detroit,
we are ready for the Midwest Regional final.
Top-seeded Kansas against tenth-seeded Davidson.
[Johnson] Tell you what,
Davidson has played killers this year, folks.
They are not afraid of this Kansas team.
[McKillop] I looked at Kansas, and I thought,
"The pressure that they're under."
Can you imagine Kansas loses to Davidson to get to the Final Four?
This was our moment.
Take what is yours.
[Johnson] Puts it on the floor. To the bucket. Left-hand scoop!
- [spectators cheering] - [Johnson] Mmm.
Curry again.
-And buries it. - [spectators cheering]
[Johnson] Tough shot. Oh! And it counts!
Chalmers. Lobs it.
Oh, Sasha Kaun bangs it down! And the foul.
Barr. He hits it from deep.
Barr again deep in the corner. And hits it again!
Barr again from downtown. Oh! The White Lobster is cookin'!
And a steal.
Chalmers drives straight to the basket and lays it in.
Arthur, wheeling.
Jayhawks, a minute away from the Final Four.
Curry lets it go.
And buries it!
59-57.
Three to shoot. Lets it go!
Off the front rim. No.
- [whistle blows] - [Johnson] And with 16.8 to go,
Davidson with life.
Two-point game.
A Final Four slot on the line.
Here's Curry. He may not give this up.
[Stephen] Against a team like Kansas,
there was just another level that we got to.
We put ourselves in a position to win the game.
All the way down to that last possession.
[Johnson] Frees himself, Curry.
[McKillop] We had done everything possible.
We did everything right.
We had them.
And for everyone in the arena...
it was a moment that time had stopped.
And as the buzzer went off,
I see the coach of Kansas, Bill Self, on the other sideline
falling to his knees with his hands in his face as the shot missed.
[Johnson] Pumps. Kicks it out. Richards.
- [spectators cheering] - [Johnson] That is it!
Kansas holds on!
And the Jayhawks are heading to the Final Four.
[spectators cheering]
[McKillop] We had emptied our tank.
And everyone felt the pain
that individually Jason felt...
because he took that shot.
[Richards] It really didn't hit me until, like, the locker room.
It's like the-- the family, you know?
It's-- It's, like, not that you let, like, the team down,
but, like, it's...
Like, that's the last thing, you don't wanna let your teammate down.
Like, that's the whole part.
But it wasn't so much about, "We're not going to the Final Four."
It was, "We're never gonna play again together."
Because Thomas, myself and Boris were graduating.
So it was kinda like the end of an era.
[Stephen] I had to know what that was gonna mean for me
coming back the next year.
But I think about what Jay Rich and Thomas and Max and Boris
all meant to, like, me and my confidence as a player,
and, like, you don't do anything in this life by yourself.
And, you know, like, the confidence of the group is your superpower.
And those four guys unlocked that for me.
[rain pattering]
[McKillop sighs] You go first.
[Stephen exhales deeply] Good morning, everybody.
Uh, thanks for coming today. Um...
[sighs] ...after a lot of discussion with my parents, Coach McKillop and my teammates,
I have decided to forgo my senior year and enter the NBA draft this year.
The last three years have been some of the most enjoyable times of my life,
both on and off the court,
and I will always cherish my time here at Davidson.
I wanna thank Coach McKillop and our coaching staff
for just giving me a chance to do well.
And I hope to finish what I started and get a Davidson degree at some point.
- [cameras click] - [Stephen sighs]
[cameras clicking]
I've been, uh, incredibly fortunate...
uh, to have this opportunity to coach him for these three years.
You know, we're here with a sense of, uh, sadness. Almost like we're at a funeral.
But we also have a tremendous balance in life.
There's a celebration here.
Celebration of what this young man represents.
And, um, we're just thrilled for this opportunity for him,
and, uh, we know that he's gonna continue to wear Davidson on his heart
as he has done for these past three years.
[McKillop] He cherished it.
And giving up something that you cherish is never easy,
but he felt he was ready for that next step in his journey.
[Stern] The Golden State Warriors select Stephen Curry from Davidson College.
[audience cheering]
[sportscaster] The question is, can he make the transition?
Is he gonna be strong enough against NBA defenders
over the course of an 82-game schedule?
[audience cheering]
[sportscaster] And there's just this sense
that he's not a big-time athlete on the basketball floor.
So it's gonna be interesting to see where he pans out.
- [spectators clamoring] - [Stephen grunts]
[commentator 1] Steph is hurt. Steph Curry is hurt.
[commentator 2] Shot clock down to five seconds.
Uh-oh. And you don't wanna see that.
[commentator 2] I don't know what happened.
[Stephen grunting]
[commentator 3] Curry hurt his foot again.
[commentator 4] Just heartbreaking.
- [commentator 4] Same ankle. - [commentator 5] Look at that.
[commentator 6] Holy macaron--
[commentator 5] Over and over and over again.
[sportscaster] Curry underwent surgery on his right ankle.
He will miss three to four months.
[sighs, grunts]
- [physical therapist] Over. Good. - [sighs]
[grunts]
[commentator 1] Curry through the lane. And in!
How did he make that?
- [commentator 2] Curry splits the defense. - [Mike Breen] Behind the back.
Fires a three. It's good!
And the dream season is complete.
The Golden State Warriors are the 2015 NBA champions.
Their first title in 40 years.
[Breen] There it is. The Warriors are NBA champions again.
[Breen] There's a new dynasty in the NBA.
Back-to-back titles. Three in four years.
[Breen] Thompson grabs his left knee.
Now writhing in pain.
It's over.
The Raptors, the 2019 NBA champs.
[Colin Cowherd] This is how it ends.
The Warriors dynasty, I think it ends tonight.
[sportscaster 1] We will never see Steph in another NBA Finals ever.
They have no path forward.
[sportscaster 2] This group will not make the playoffs next year.
[Cowherd] Players get old, injured.
[sportscaster 3] Curry can't do it.
[commentator 1] He's dripping sweat. There's just nothing left.
[commentator] Tough shot. Got it.
And the Golden State Warriors dispatch the Nuggets in five games.
[commentator 2] It's gonna be a different series now against the Memphis Grizzlies.
[sportscaster] This Warriors team's not winning more playoff games.
It is impossible for me to believe.
[commentator 3] Curry dishing. Looney, extra D. To Green for the flush.
Thompson, back to Curry. Curry, a three. He got it!
The Golden State Warriors are heading back to the Western Conference Finals.
[sportscaster] I'm still not completely sold on Golden State.
Is Steph tall enough? Strong enough? Defensive enough?
[spectators cheering]
[commentator] It was blocked by Curry. Blocked by Curry on the three.
Curry shooting.
They're on their feet,
and their Warriors are going to the NBA Finals again.
[spectators cheering]
[sportscaster 1] With Golden State, I don't see how they win this series.
[sportscaster 2] I like the Boston Celtics.
[sportscaster 3] Like the Celtics in six.
[sportscaster 4] The Celtics are winning it all. Period.
[Breen] Tatum on the drive. Kicks it out. Smart, corner three.
Gets it back. Layup blocked by Brown.
Boston Celtics take game three.
They're two wins away from a title.
[sportscaster 1] Now the Warriors have to win three out of four.
[sportscaster 2] Even the most die-hard Warriors fan's
gonna say that's very unlikely.
[sportscaster 1] The Celtics look like the better team.
The Celtics are the younger team. They're the more athletic team.
[sportscaster 3] We talk about what kind of player you have to have
to win a championship.
If Steph Curry isn't that, who is?
[sportscaster 4] Well, he's borderline not that now.
[sportscaster 5] I have yet to see
a no-excuses-Steph-led Warriors team win a championship.
[commentator] Curry... [laughs] ...with a beautiful move and off the glass.
[Breen] Curry steps back. Three pointer. Got it.
Another long-distance shot. It's good!
Steph Curry launches a three. Curry again.
[laughs] Steph Curry from way downtown. He's got 30 points.
What a performance from Stephen Curry.
The NBA Finals are tied at two games apiece,
as the brilliance of Steph Curry on full display here in Boston.
[Breen] Curry goes coast to coast, lays it up and in.
Curry to Wiggins. Wiggins, the layup. It's good.
Wiggins drives and finishes! Exclamation point from Andrew Wiggins.
[Breen] Curry drives on Smart. Gets inside. Left-handed, banks it home.
Curry catches. Fakes.
Fires three-pointer. Bang!
Steph Curry from downtown. A 15-point lead.
[spectators cheering]
[Breen] The realization is underway for Golden State.
[spectators cheering]
[Breen] Steph Curry getting emotional.
It might be his fourth, but it means so much.
[buzzer sounding]
[player] Come on, 30! Come on, 30! Come on!
- Get my family up here. - I'm gonna get 'em for you.
- My family... - I'm gonna get 'em for you.
[Ayesha squeals]
You gonna have red lipstick. What the hell just happened?
[commentator] He's a four-time NBA champion.
A two-time league MVP.
And for the first time ever,
the NBA Finals MVP award goes to Stephen Curry!
[cheering, applauding]
[players] MVP! MVP! MVP!
MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!
[spectators cheering]
Yeah!
[crowd cheering]
[Stephen] How did I get here?
If you walked into a gym and saw me 20 years ago,
there's no way you would think any of this was possible.
And that feeling of being overlooked or underrated
will always be part of the drive that keeps me going.
But also, I've just been blessed to have so many people in my life
that took the time to get the sense of who I really was.
I'll remember that forever.
[Hicks] We are extremely proud to call ourselves your home team,
your base of support, your cheering section.
I mean the entire Davidson community who stands with you
and surrounds you with our hearts and our minds.
It would have been so easy,
so straightforward not to complete your college degree.
But he did it. And this is a dream come true for me.
I am so thankful and blessed to be able to look at you,
see you with your gown on officially,
knowing you earned this.
[Hicks] Wardell Stephen Curry II,
I hereby affirm the degree of Bachelor of Arts.
Congratulations.
[audience cheering]
[cheering continues]
[Stephen] This is an absolutely amazing day, an amazing moment.
Every single person that I got to play with
lives with me every single time that I step foot on the court.
It speaks to how much this place means to me.
But most importantly,
I played for an amazing man.
Somebody who has so much compassion,
care,
love for every single person that you come in contact with.
None of this is possible without you.
[audience cheering, whistling]
[Payne] All right, Steph. Ready?
Top two. Wing three. Top two. Wing three. Here we go.
One.
- [groans] - [Payne] Two.
- Three. - Yeah!
["Lil Fish, Big Pond" playing]
"Needs to add some muscle to his upper body
but appears as though he'll always be skinny."
They said the same thing, the exact same thing, about me.
I think what surprised me the most
was his ability to shoot from deep.
- [commentator 1] Is he feeling it? - [commentator 2] Yes. Steph three.
Got another one!
He changed how people view the NBA now.
One player.
All 30 teams now base their play off the three-point line,
and that is because of Stephen Curry.
[Breen] Bang! Bang! Oh, what a shot from Curry!
And he ties the NBA record with his 12th three-pointer of the game.