After the Golden State Warriors took Game 1 of the 2015 Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets, Steph Curry stepped to the podium for his post game presser with his 2-year-old daughter, Riley, in tow. She would immediately become the star of the show.
She hilariously told Curry to be quiet because he “was too loud.” She yawned in the middle of Curry’s answers in the most adorable way possible. She waved at reporters in the crowd, then disappeared underneath the tablecloth that covered the table Curry was sitting at. She stole the spotlight and never really gave it back.
Riley’s appearance took on a life of its own. On one side, both NBA fans and NBA Twitter alike couldn’t get enough of Riley, and wanted her sitting next to Curry at every postgame presser so they could soak up all the cuteness she had to offer. On the other, certain media members covering, like ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst, felt it was unprofessional and that Riley’s presence made it harder to do their job. Arguments over children at the postgame podium officially became a thing.
Curry now says he regrets bringing Riley on stage with him.
“I think even as parents, understanding how we’re going to raise kids not only in this crazy society we live in but one that we’re so visible [in], and people are kind of locked into every step we take, every word we say,” Curry told The Undefeated. “One thing I do technically regret in terms of how fast this all came is when I brought Riley on the podium [during the 2015 NBA Finals].”
Though Kemba Walker will be front and center representing Charlotte this weekend during the NBA’s All-Star festivities, its a homecoming of sorts for Curry, too, who grew up in the city and went to college at Davidson, which is also in North Carolina. His return home has caused him to reflect on how he’s raising his children, and whether putting Riley in the spotlight so early was too much, too soon.
“I didn’t know how much that would blow up and how much of a splash she [would make] on the scene. If I could take that one back, I probably would, just because my goal is just to … give my kids the best chance at success and at seeing the world in the proper way … trying to give our kids the best chance to be successful and have a normal life in terms of treating people the right way, having respect, not getting too bigheaded and feeling like everything’s about them,” Curry said.
Steph Curry has reached the sort of superstardom where the choices he makes, even ones that involve his children, can become national news. And that’s a heavy burden to carry, as Curry has now realized.
