Dell Curry

Dell Curry, born June 25, 1964, in Harrisonburg, Virginia, is the most prolific scorer in Charlotte Hornets franchise history and the patriarch of professional basketball's most remarkable shooting dynasty — father to Stephen Curry, arguably the greatest shooter the game has ever produced, and Seth Curry, an elite NBA sharpshooter who now wears his father's number 30 for the very same franchise. Selected 15th overall by the Utah Jazz in the 1986 NBA Draft out of Virginia Tech, Dell spent the defining decade of his playing career in Charlotte from 1988 to 1998, becoming one of the original Hornets' most beloved figures and the franchise's all-time leading scorer. Curry's path to Charlotte ran through Virginia Tech, where he developed the shooting fundamentals that would define not just his own career but — through careful instruction and example — the careers of his sons. A four-year Hokie, Curry averaged over 18 points per game in two of his college seasons and departed as one of the program's most accomplished players. Drafted by Utah, he spent time with the Jazz and Cavaliers before Charlotte selected him in the expansion draft for their inaugural 1988-89 season — making him one of the franchise's very first players and ensuring he would be present for every chapter of the original Hornets era. What Curry provided for ten seasons was consistent, reliable, and spectacular shooting off the bench. In an era before the three-point revolution fully reshaped NBA strategy, he was already doing what his son Stephen would later make universal: creating instant offense through catch-and-shoot threes with mechanics so refined they required almost no warm-up. His 1993-94 Sixth Man of the Year Award recognized what Charlotte fans had known for years — Curry was one of the NBA's most impactful reserve players. His two sons grew up in Charlotte, shooting in the Hornets' practice facility, attending Charlotte Christian School, and absorbing professional basketball in ways that profoundly shaped their careers. Seth Curry wearing number 30 for the Hornets today is not coincidence — it is a conscious tribute, a father-son connection running through the very city and very number that define Dell Curry's legacy.