TORONTO — Stephen Curry had a “pseudo homecoming” while playing in Toronto on Friday night for the first time since the 2019 Finals against the Raptors.
Curry spent part of his childhood in Toronto, while his father, Dell Curry, played for the team between 1999 and 2002. That meant there were “a lot of familiar faces” on Friday, with Herbie Kuhn announcing the game at Scotiabank Arena, to Dell’s former teammates Alvin “Boogie” Williams, part of the broadcast team, and even Charles Oakley, who as a spectator was honored by the crowd.
“I still have family, my wife’s family is still here. And it’s always great to have a sort of pseudo homecoming vibe here. Lots of great years, lots of good memories,” Curry said after the game.
“Toronto is a special place. My family, my journey. I always like to come back.
“Toronto is a special place. My family, my journey. I always like to come back.
There were a lot of familiar faces for Curry in Toronto, a place where he spent part of his childhood while his father played for the Raptors between 1999 and 2002. pic.twitter.com/GjgbJaoVt4
-Bryan Meler (@BryanMeler) March 2, 2024
Curry’s wife, Ayesha, was born in Markham, Ontario, because they share ties with the province.
The two-time league MVP hadn’t played in Toronto since 2019 for several reasons, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and injuries. This gave Toronto fans even more reason to attend the game, especially when they watched him warm up.
On Friday, Curry led all scorers with 25 points, going 7-15 from deep, to go along with a team-high six assists. This resulted in a 120-105 victory for the Warriors against the Raptors.
Looking at the footage, it’s no surprise that Curry feels comfortable spinning the rock in Toronto, something he did regularly alongside his brother Seth growing up.
This isn’t the first time Curry has spoken about his ties to Toronto, where he spent a year and a half on and off from grades 6 to 8 while attending Queensway Christian College in the Toronto area. Etobicoke to Toronto. In a previous interviewhe noted that “every time I get up for a game against Toronto, it brings a little juice to my game. I just have fun knowing the history of the Curry family in Toronto.”
Growing up, he remembers how cold it was after his family left Charlotte, and also how friendly and diverse the people were. During the 2019 playoffshe mentioned that he always picked up a bag of Maynard candy when he came back to the 6ix.