NBA superstar Stephen “Steph” Curry was in New York City for a press run for the release of his book and his annual Underrated Gold Curry Cup tournament for underprivileged junior golfers.
While hitting the streets of Manhattan, the basketball icon had a run-in with some overzealous autograph seekers.
New York-based photojournalist Mickey Blank captured the moment Steph Curry exited a sprinter van in NYC. Blank posted footage of the two-time NBA Most Valuable Player to the content creator’s social media accounts and YouTube page.
“It got pretty aggressive today waiting for Stephen Curry,” Blank wrote in the Instagram caption. “Please don’t be a space invader, be respectful even [if] the signature will get you the [money].”
In the clip, one of Curry’s security officials can be seen telling the onlooking crowd, “Get back behind the gate! Behind the gate!” Another apparent security guard can be heard saying, “Miss, can you go behind? What makes you think you’re special?”
After seeing the video footage, many said he should have waved and acknowledged his fans, at the very least. But a few believe, Curry, who looked extremely focused on something as he got out of the sprinter van, did not have to.
“He is a person,” said one Curry defender. “He has to be somewhere for work. He is not@obligated to stop and sign and take picture[s] every single moment. Let him be. Give people space. Stop idolizing. And he is, by the way, a very nice guy.”
After watching the clip some claim they heard someone heckling, “So Im the only person that heard someone say “Curry you wack as hell!” ???”
Still, dozens switched their focus on the security guard, writing, “I would fire the guy in the blue suit for talking to people like that.”
“Fire him why?” replied another. “You have no idea how these people push and push. Unless you’ve been down there. It’s his job to protect the guests going in and out of the show.”
At one point, the blue suited man can be heard saying, “Get the f–k out of my face,” as he pushed something out of the frame away from his face.
Two people asked, “Did that old man hit her ?” and “Who was swearing? It wasn’t Steph, was it?”
Defending the security guard, one person claimed the man was Curry’s “head of security. I’ve met him a few times in the past. The man is truly a gentleman. Never had any issues, was never rude, always pleasant. But I wasn’t there hounding a celebrity for an autograph.”
Curry was wearing the same outfit in Mickey Blank’s clip that he had on in a post on his Instagram page. The 36-year-old Golden State Warriors point guard answered questions from young basketball players in the video.
“Had the chance to give out a few copies of my brand new graphic novel Sports Superheroes at the Today Show. I am excited to have this project out in the world and to share it with kids everywhere,” Curry wrote in the caption.
In addition, the father of four shared a 35-second “Day In The Life” vlog on X. His NYC trip included the Akron-born, Charlotte-raised athlete visiting NBC’s “The Today Show,” CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street,” and CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.”
On Sept. 5, Curry joined KPMG CEO Paul Knopp and LPGA Tour golfer Mariah Stackhouse at the Nasdaq Stock Market in Times Square to ring the opening bell. The founder of UNDERRATED Golf also stopped by the National Basketball Players Association’s headquarters as well as the NBA Store NYC.
Steph Curry’s 2024 included winning a gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris on Aug. 10. Team USA defeated France 98–87 in the men’s basketball tournament, giving America a fifth consecutive first-place finish.
Not only did Curry bring home a gold medal from the Olympics, he was also named as one of the FIBA Summer Olympics All-Star Five along with American teammate LeBron James, French center Victor Wembanyama, Serbian center Nikola Jokić, and German guard Dennis Schröder.
“It was an all-around great experience. Obviously, my first Olympic experience. For it to close out the way it did, it was some storybook stuff for sure. I got a nice little gold medal to show for it now,” Curry said during his Sept. 3 interview on “The Today Show.”
He used the morning show appearance to promote his new “Sports Superheroes” graphic novel too. The four-time NBA champion said, “It’s a way to bring a real story of my journey into an imaginary world where kids could feel inspired and motivated to find whatever their skill set, their talent, their gift is.”
Steph Curry’s memorable summer of 2024 also featured him signing a contract extension with the Golden State Warriors through the 2026-27 season. The deal is reportedly worth $62.6 million.
The Warriors drafted Steph Curry as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft. The oldest child of former NBA player Dell Curry and former Virginia Tech University volleyball player Sonya Curry will kick off his 16th season in the league on Oct. 23, 2024, when the Warriors face the Portland Trail Blazers.
