Sonya Curry

Sonya Curry
Born
Sonya Alicia Adams
(1966-05-30) May 30, 1966
Radford, Virginia, U.S.
OccupationEducator
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1988; div. 2021)​
Children3 (incl. Stephen and Seth)
RelativesAyesha Curry (daughter-in-law)[1]Damion Lee (son-in-law)[1]

Sonya Alicia Curry (néeAdams; born May 30, 1966[2]) is an American educator and author. She is the mother of professional basketball players Stephen Curry and Seth Curry.

Early life, education, and family

Sonya Alicia Adams was born in Radford, Virginia, to Cleive and Candy Adams. Adams is African-American.[3] Some media outlets have described Adams as having both Black and Caucasian ancestry,[4][5] while her daughter, Sydel Curry-Lee, has publicly clarified that their family is Black and not mixed, writing that “we are just light".[6] The Adamses lived in poverty and experienced racism, including encounters with the Ku Klux Klan.[7][8] At Radford High School,[8] Adams participated in volleyball, track and field, and basketball; she then matriculated at Virginia Tech. At Virginia Tech, she played volleyball, earning all-conference honors in the Metro Conference as a junior.[9] Adams earned a degree in education.[8] According to her best friend and college roommate, the volleyball team was popular largely due to Adams.[10]

Adams met her future husband, Dell Curry, at Virginia Tech. During her official recruiting visit to the school, she was watching the men's basketball practice when they noticed each other.[9] She married Curry in 1988.[1]

Career

In 1995, Sonya Curry founded the Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman in Huntersville, North Carolina.[11][12][13] Her children attended the school.[12]

Curry published a parenting book, Fierce Love, in 2022.[13] Subtitled "A Memoir of Family, Faith, and Purpose", the book explores her time raising her family, her passion for education, and the ways in which her faith has steadied her during life's most difficult moments.[14]

Personal life

Curry and her ex-husband, Dell Curry, have three children.[1] Their elder son, Stephen, plays for the Golden State Warriors. He holds the all-time NBA record for three-pointers and has won four NBA championships with the team.[15][16][17] Her younger son, Seth, also plays for the Golden State Warriors, joining his older brother for the 2025-2026 season.[18][19] Her daughter, Sydel, played volleyball at Elon University.[20]

When Seth was playing college ball with Duke, Curry's celebration of his three-point field goal against North Carolina in February 2013 had her trending on Twitter.[21] She remained popular on the Internet during the Blue Devils' run in the 2013 NCAA tournament.[10]

As she often receives camera time in the audience of Golden State games, Curry has been called NBA "royalty".[22] She has been interviewed about how she successfully raised professional athletes and how the family has dealt with their sons' success.[23][24]

Curry made a halfcourt shot to win a shooting competition at the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend.[25]

On August 23, 2021, Sonya and Dell Curry announced that they were divorcing after 33 years of marriage.[26] The divorce was finalized in November 2021.[27]

References

  1. ^ abcdWeiss, Jacqueline (August 13, 2024). "All About Steph Curry's Parents, Dell and Sonya Curry". People.com.
  2. ^Yorkey, Mike (2016). "Chapter 1: His Father's Apprentice". The Right Steph: How Stephen Curry Is Taking the NBA to a New Level--With Humility and Grace. Shiloh Run Press. ISBN 9781683221098. Retrieved May 31, 2019. She married Cleive E. Adams and had four children that included Sonya, who was born May 30, 1966.
  3. ^Feldman, Dan (February 19, 2019). "Sonya Curry: Former Hornets owner George Shinn cautioned players against interracial marriage". NBC Sports.
  4. ^Mathur, Ashish (May 11, 2024). "Stephen Curry's Mom: Everything You Need To Know About Sonya Curry". ClutchPoints.
  5. ^Adams, Jonathan (May 16, 2019). "Sonya Curry, Steph & Seth's Mom: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy Sports.
  6. ^https://x.com/sydelcurrylee/status/332178043495911425
  7. ^Spruill, Tamryn (February 19, 2019). "Sonya Curry shares harrowing details of her experiences with racism". Warriors Wire. USA Today.
  8. ^ abcSpears, Marc J. (February 19, 2019). "Sonya Curry turns experiences with racism into lessons for her children". Andscape.
  9. ^ abOstler, Scott (May 28, 2017). "How 'Splash Mothers' begat the Warriors' Splash Brothers". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  10. ^ abKillion, Ann (May 12, 2013). "Mom set Stephen Curry on winning path". SFGate. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  11. ^Curry, Sonya. "A Message from the Head of the School". Christian Montessori School of Lake Norman.
  12. ^ abDziemianowicz, Joe (November 21, 2018). "Steph Curry's mom was strict: 'It's not my job to do everything for everybody'". today.com.
  13. ^ abUwumarogie, Victoria (May 3, 2022). "Sonya Curry Shares How She Raised Not One, Not Two But Three Superstar Kids In Her Memoir, 'Fierce Love'". Essence.
  14. ^Gillette, Sam (March 17, 2022). "Sonya Curry Pens Memoir About Raising NBA Star Sons Stephen and Seth and Her Faith: 'Love Fiercely'". people.com.
  15. ^Struck, Logan (March 14, 2025). "Steph Curry Makes NBA History in Warriors vs Kings". si.com.
  16. ^Emerman, Danny (July 28, 2024). "DIMES: Steph Curry wants to spend his entire career with the Warriors, but his tone has changed". mercurynews.com.
  17. ^Martin, Brian (March 14, 2025). "The Road to 4,000: How Stephen Curry became 1st player to reach 4,000 career 3-pointers made". NBA.
  18. ^Staff, RotoWire. "Warriors' Seth Curry: Signs with Golden State". CBS Sports. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  19. ^"Warriors Sign Free Agent Guard Seth Curry". NBA.com. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  20. ^Stein, Marc (May 15, 2019). "Sonya and Dell Curry Mastered Cheering for Their Sons. But Not at the Same Time". The New York Times.
  21. ^Mahr, Chris (March 28, 2013). "Sonya Curry: College basketball's most famous mom talks about her sons and social media". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
  22. ^"The making of the NBA's Royal Family: The Currys". NBC Sports Northwest. May 15, 2019. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  23. ^Flagler, Betsy (May 3, 2008). "Away From the Spotlight, Currys Are a Model". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved May 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^Bonnell, Rick (June 21, 2015). "NBA Playoffs Became Family Project for Dell and Sonya Curry". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^Friedell, Nick (February 15, 2019). "Steph's mom drains underhand half-court shot". ESPN.com.
  26. ^Mizoguchi, Karen; Leonard, Elizabeth (August 23, 2021). "Stephen Curry's Parents Sonya and Dell Curry to Divorce After 33 Years of Marriage". People. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  27. ^Peter, Josh (June 5, 2022). "How the longtime marriage between Dell and Sonya Curry crumbled amid accusations of infidelity". USA Today.
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