Steph Curry spent three years in Toronto during his childhood, where he witnessed how the city enjoys watching its sports teams, especially the Raptors, the only Canadian team in the NBA.
Steph’s father, Dell Curry, played his final seasons with the Toronto Raptors from 1999 to 2002, forcing their family to move to the city.
As a child, Steph spent time shooting around at the Air Canada Centre, now known as the Scotiabank Arena and watched players like Vince Carter perform. He also attended middle school and played junior basketball in the Greater Toronto Area.
During those years, Curry recalled the wild crowds in Toronto cheering for the Raptors.
“It was different. I love the city. So diverse. There’s so much culture there. The Raptors, that was in the middle of insanity, so every game was unreal. It’s just too cold,” he said. “I lived up there for three years while my dad was finishing up his career.”
“It was different. I love the city. So diverse. There’s so much culture there. The Raptors, that was in the middle of insanity, so every game was unreal. It’s just too cold”
“I lived up there for three years
Steph Curry Found New Perspectives About Basketball In Toronto
Curry added that the Toronto basketball circuit gave him a new perspective on basketball away from the American scene.
“I got to play against the best of the best in Ontario,” he said. “It was also kind of a nice shot for me to get away from North Carolina, where I was playing AAU and stuff, to just get a little bit of a different competition, a little different vibe, a different style of basketball, and build my confidence from there.”
“And then when I got back and started playing high school back in North Carolina, I think I was better off for it.”
He also played for the Toronto club team, sharing the court against other future Canadian NBA stars like Cory Joseph and Kelly Olynyk. Curry led the squad to a spectacular 33-4 record and secured a provincial championship.
While in Toronto, Curry also played for the Queensway Christian College boys’ basketball team. Despite being small and frail, he led the school to an undefeated season.
Steph Curry Remembers Shooting In Toronto Arena’s Courts With Brother
Because of his dad’s tenure, Curry spent hours shooting on the Raptors’ home court before and after official practices, honing the form that would later revolutionize the NBA.
“Me and my brother would go up to the Air Canada Center, go up to the practice facility, and we shoot for the first half, and then we go watch the second half,” he said.
“We were junkies. We wanted to just get shots up and play one-on-one and work on our game, but we also wanted to go out and watch the best of the best do what they did.”
Curry played against the Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals, where Toronto tasted its first-ever NBA championship at the expense of the Golden State Warriors.
Back then, the Raptors were led by Kawhi Leonard, who picked up his second NBA championship in Toronto before moving to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Raptors are expected to field a formidable crew next season, despite the Kawhi Leonard trade being in limbo.
Steph Curry Gets Honest About Toronto Raptors Impact On His Game