The night had been light up until then: jokes with former teammates Rex Chapman and Muggsy Bogues, photos with North Carolina dignitaries, handshakes and hugs with friends and family.
But just past 6 p.m. before Thursday’s game, standing on a stage on the top floor of Spectrum Center, Dell Curry sensed something was different.
Something he wasn’t expecting was coming.
Former Charlotte Hornets Muggsy Bogues, Dell Curry and Rex Chapman pose for photographs during a reception for Dell Curry on Thursday night at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Curry probably figured all the surprises were behind him. Months ago, he was told that the No. 30 would never be worn again by a Charlotte Hornet, and that his jersey was going to be retired in Spectrum Center, hanging up next to Bobby Phills. Earlier Thursday, he won a round of golf; he shot a 73 at The Club at Longview in Union County. Earlier in the hour, he’d been awarded a key to the city of Charlotte — the second Curry to be honored, after his son, Steph, received one in 2022.
But as his play-by-play partner and Thursday night’s emcee, Eric Collins, geared up to invite another guest up to the podium, the big smile Curry had had at the ready all evening turned into a grimace. It was the good kind of grimace, though — the kind someone who’s spent decades harnessing emotion and channeling it into greatness shows when tears suddenly well up in their eyes, when something truly great and unexpected happens.
“Well, Dell’s so popular, he could’ve been the governor of North Carolina, if you ask me,” Collins said.
Collins then called North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein up to the podium.
“One of the fun things about being governor is you get to do something called The Order of the Long Leaf Pine,” Stein said. “This is an award that is reserved for people who’ve made a remarkable impact on the state that we love through their significant accomplishments or their contributions. Since 1963, it’s reserved for really special people. People like Michael Jordan. Like Dale Earnhardt. Like Billy Graham.”
He paused.
“Like Dell Curry.”
Stein’s presentation of the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, one of the most prestigious honors the sitting governor of the Tar Heel State can bestow, lasted five minutes. The award will last forever. It was such a moment that Dell’s first-born and the greatest shooter the NBA has seen, Steph, decided to do something all proud, if irrational, family members do: He pulled out his iPhone and took a few pictures of Pops, because the half-dozen other professional cameras in the room weren’t enough.
Steph Curry, Sydel Curry, Dell Curry and Seth Curry pose together during a reception Thursday for Dell Curry at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Dell Curry, you soon find out, was the only one surprised by the event.
Some actually knew he would get the key to Charlotte and the order of North Carolina; they’d planned it, in other words. Like Charlotte owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin. Like Mayor Pro Tem James “Smuggie” Mitchell.
Some didn’t know the details of the honors, but were utterly unsurprised when they learned about them. Count his children Seth and Sydel and Steph in that category. Count a half-dozen grandkids wearing custom No. 30 jerseys with “G-Daddy” on the back. Count all the other 50 or so people who were packed into that room, their own iPhones above their heads.
“What a great night, day, week it’s already been,” Dell Curry said in the surprise pregame event Thursday. “I thank the governor, the mayor, I’ll thank these guys over here as long as I’m breathing. It’s been incredible. It’s uncomfortable for me to celebrate myself. … There are so many people in this room, and they’re a big part of my life. And I want to share this with you.”
Curry added: “I’m so glad my jersey is going to be up in the rafters for everybody who comes into this building, whether it’s basketball or a show or whatever it is. They’re going to look up and see Curry 30 — and it represents everybody in this room. Not just me.”
Former Charlotte Hornets star Dell Curry hugs his grandson, Cruz Curry, during a Thursday reception at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
Collins — who could probably fit into both “unsurprised” categories — laid it out perfectly.
“Tell your friends,” he said. “The Hornets and Magic are going to be tied 30-30 at some point in today’s game because it’s the way this works in Dell’s life. And at the end of the game, when you look up, the Hornets will win by 30.”
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry listens to speakers recognize his father, former Charlotte Hornets forward Dell Curry, during a reception Thursday at Spectrum Center. JEFF SINER jsiner@charlotteobserver.com
That’s how it’s been since before Dell Curry’s gray hairs. Back when he was just Dell: the Hornets’ leading scorer when he departed the team, one of the best shooters in 1990s-era NBA, the first player taken in Charlotte’s expansion draft when he was 24 years old in 1988. Back before he became a walking ambassador for the Hornets franchise. Back before he became the patriarch of one of Charlotte’s most accomplished families.
Back when he was just a father, sitting in the bleachers watching his sons play baseball. Back when he was chopping it up with Bob McKillop as Bob watched his own son and the Curry boys’ teammate, Brendan, run around the same bases. McKillop, of course, was the legendary basketball coach up the road at Davidson College; he was the visionary smart enough to recruit Steph, the dreamer who helped unlock Steph as one of the most inspiring athletes to ever wear shoes.
“One of the things we constantly recruited for was character,” McKillop said in an interview with The Observer. “And we had to do no research on that. Our research was done; we saw Steph as a 10-year-old. And we saw how Dell and (Stephen’s mother) Sonya represented the kind of character we wanted on Davidson’s team.”
McKillop has never been surprised by any Curry family member’s accomplishment.
No one in that room Thursday had been, either.
That is, besides Dell Curry himself.
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 8:49 PM.
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Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.
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