Steph Curry First Dunk: A Late-Blooming Tale of Hoops and Hilarity

Warriors superstar Steph Curry might be known as the greatest shooter in NBA history, but when it comes to dunking, he was a bit of a late bloomer. Unlike many of his NBA peers, Curry didn’t experience the thrill of dunking until he was nearly an adult, a fact he hilariously confessed in a recent video.

In a lighthearted moment shared by the NBA on X (formerly Twitter), Curry revealed that he was 19 years old when he first successfully dunked. “Freshman in college. It took me that long,” Curry admitted, referring to his days at Davidson College. He recounted the moment with a smile, recalling how he threw down his first dunk off a lob, using two feet and two hands. “It was a loud day on campus, that day,” he added.

Q to LeBron: “How old were you when you first dunked?”
AD: “Two? Two years old?” 😂
Was Bron the youngest #USABMNT dunker? pic.twitter.com/u3GKTqR1Vl
— NBA (@NBA) August 15, 2024

Curry’s first professional dunk came during a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a moment that felt almost surreal for him. “It was like a dream,” Curry said after the Warriors’ 118-108 victory on January 15, 2018. “I thought I was going to wake up and be back in my bed at the hotel, but it actually happened. Somebody said it was like a unicorn sighting.”

While his Olympic teammates LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, and Bam Adebayo all claimed to have dunked in their early teens, Curry’s late start didn’t deter him from becoming one of the most impactful players in the league. In fact, the rarity of seeing Curry dunk makes each occasion even more memorable, almost like a glitch in a basketball video game.

Despite the late blooming in his dunking career, Curry’s legacy will be defined by his unparalleled shooting ability. With 3,747 career 3-pointers and counting, his place in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame is assured—not for his dunks, but for his record-breaking sharpshooting.

So, while Steph Curry might not have been a teenage dunking sensation, he’s proven that sometimes, a three is worth more than two in the grand scheme of things.