2022 has been one to remember for NBA superstar Stephen Curry. He won his fourth championship with the Golden State Warriors and took home his first Finals MVP award. To top it all off, on Wednesday, he received his college degree, had his number retired and was inducted into the Hall of Fame by his alma mater Davidson College, reports ESPN.
"I'm a graduate," Curry said. "I'm a Davidson alum and I am in the Hall of Fame. And that's pretty crazy.”.
“This is an absolutely amazing day and an amazing moment for myself and my family," he added. "The best decision I ever made was to come to Davidson College and pursue an education, join an amazing community and, most importantly, play for an amazing man who has built this program in Coach [Bob] McKillop."
Following his speech, Curry was joined on stage by his wife Ayesha Curry and children Riley, Ryan and Canon.
McKillop, Curry's former coach and Davidson's winningest coach in the school's history said, "There is hope in the world because of Stephen Curry."
Curry finished his degree in May with a Bachelor of Arts in sociology but was unable to attend the college's graduation in the spring because of the NBA playoffs. After all his hard work, he got a chance to walk across the stage.
Davidson president Doug Hicks lauded Curry for his commitment to his studies while simultaneously having one of the best seasons of his professional career.
"To earn this degree you showed determination and perseverance," Hicks said during the ceremony. "It would have been so easy, so straightforward to not complete your college degree. Yet in response to that idea, you did what you did to 29 other NBA organizations, you said, 'night, night.'"
After leaving college early to enter the NBA draft in 2009, Curry promised his mother Sonia that he would complete his undergraduate studies. 13 years later, he fulfilled his promise.
In his stellar collegiate career, which spanned from 2006-2009, Curry became Davidson’s school's all-time leader in points, 3-pointers, free throws, field goals and steals. Also, he’s the Southern Conference's all-time leading scorer, set an NCAA record with 162 3-pointers in 2008, was the 2009 Southern Conference Bob Waters Male Athlete of the Year and was a consensus All-American in 2009. He led the Wildcats to the Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament in 2008.
Previously, Davidson had retired the jerseys of only eight players but never a jersey number. Curry's No. 30 became the first number to be retired and no Davidson men's basketball player will ever wear No. 30 again.
