SAN FRANCISCO — In a year filled to the brim with accolades that included a Finals MVP and college degree, Stephen Curry still has one more award to accept before the calendar flips to 2023.
Curry was crowned 2022 Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated for the second time in his illustrious career, the publication announced Tuesday morning. The Warriors superstar joins Tom Brady, LeBron James and Tiger Woods as the only people to have received the annual recognition multiple times.
Cury previously shared the honor with the entire Warriors team in 2018 after Golden State won its third title in five years.
The annual award is said to go to “athletes, coaches and teams who best represent the spirit and ideals of sportsmanship, character and performance.” Sports Illustrated believes no one better exemplified that on and off the court this year than Curry.
The two-time league MVP led the Warriors back to the NBA Finals after two straight trips to the lottery. It took a thrilling six games for Golden State to ultimately knock off the Boston Celtics. Curry was stellar on both ends of the floor during the series, which included a masterful 43-point effort in Game 4. He averaged 31.2 points, five assists, six rebounds and two steals per game while also going 31-for-71 from beyond the arc.
It was no surprise that Curry’s heroics earned him the Finals MVP award, an accolade that had long eluded him.
But it wasn’t the fact he didn’t have that hardware before this summer that annoyed Curry. “It bothered me that I had to answer to it,” he told Sports Illustrated.
Curry is eying his fifth ring this season. And while the 13-12 Warriors have gotten off to a shaky start, the eight-time All-Star is mounting another MVP campaign. He’s a top-five scorer in the league through seven weeks, leads the NBA in 3s by a longshot and the second-best rebounder for the Warriors through 25 games.
Curry’s impact goes beyond the basketball court. He and his wife, Ayesha, celebrated the third-year anniversary of their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation by taking about 1,000 Oakland children to an A’s game this summer. The Curry nonprofit, founded in 2019, aims to combat food insecurity, encourage childhood literacy and create safe places for kids to be active throughout the Bay Area.
Curry, an avid golfer, is also actively working to make golf more inclusive with his Underrated Golf Tour for junior players. He also notably made a seven-figure donation to fund the Howard University men’s and women’s golf programs in 2019.
There were countless other accomplishments for Curry, too. He was named All-Star Game MVP and Western Conference MVP. He graduated from Davidson College and hosted the ESPYs, where he was named Best NBA Player. The list goes on and on.
What makes Curry unique in his achievements is his selflessness and humility. His “Night, Night” celebration might’ve become a global trend, and he relished in winning his fourth title in eight years, question: “What are they gonna say now?” But he’s never been one to get involved in unncessary drama.
“The pure joy I have on the court, it’s like a spacey kind of attitude. … Like, I’m not thinking of anything other than just hooping and having fun,” Curry said. “That’s why I have all these mannerisms and joy and happiness out there, because I’m kind of just lost in the game.”
Curry will be presented the award Thursday during a gala at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Thompson and coach Steve Kerr are among those slated to be in attendance and pay tribute to the Warriors superstar.
Curry joined Bill Russell (1968), Michael Jordan (1991), Tim Duncan (2003), David Robinson (2003), Dwyane Wade (2006) and James (2012, 2016, 2020) as the only NBA players to receive the honor in 68-year existence.
