“When you decide to hang it up, right, what are the things you will consider? What will be the determination?” “I think your body is the first. What it takes to get ready for a game is a lot different now than it was a decade ago. When I’m out there on the court right now, I still get lost in the fun. It’s still my happy place. All the work is worth it because I get to go out there and hoop at the highest level. The competition, the camaraderie, the chasing something that matters, like, that still gets me going. I don’t see that stopping anytime soon.” “Sixteen years went by so fast. So my rule is you play as long as you can, then play one more year.” “Now, you’re in year 17. What did you learn these foundational lessons about, maybe work ethic or training?” “Something he taught me and my brother and my sister, like, nobody can want it for you. You can get good coaching, guidance, support, whatever, but you have to want it for yourself. Not really knowing what they were doing, but like, Oh, this is important. This matters.” “Another thing I think is big, is I’d tell them beforehand, Hey, I’m bringing my boys to practice tomorrow, talk to them, hang out with them. And on every team, Muggsy, Lonzo, Hersey, Larry Johnson — when I was with Milwaukee, Ray Allen, Vince in Toronto, everywhere I went, my teammates liked the fact that I bring my boys.” “You’re getting paid to play the game at the highest level in the N.B.A., all the glamour of the N.B.A. life, but seeing it behind the scenes was important for me to kind of understand what it took to play at the highest level and how you have to keep doubling down on that every year, no matter how great you are.” “What was your favorite Dell Curry moment in the N.B.A.?” “Was it ‘93, when y’all played Boston in the first round, and you threw the inbound pass to Alonzo for the buzzer beater?” “Mm-hmm, yes.” “And he was the inbound man and the first on the dogpile after Zo hit the buzzer beater.” “That’s when Joe’s on the ground. He’s got hands in the air.” “And then you see Pops come through. The funniest one still is when they did the playoff team bonding thing, when they decided to all shave their heads. But he didn’t tell anybody. So he went to practice one day looking a certain way and then came back, and he scared the crap out of my sister.” “What was it like to watch the moment when your dad learned his jersey was getting retired?” “When I got word of it, maybe a week or two before, it was hard — the hardest secret to keep, but it still didn’t prepare you for the moment when you saw the raw emotions come out. And it would be even better once we all see it go up on March 19.” “You asked why we call him the second was because I’m the first, so I got to flex on that.” “His nickname is the Originator. That’s what we call him.” “Got a shirt. I’ll get you one.”
