As the oldest of three, Golden State Warriors point guard Wardell “Steph” Curry II, 36, said it was “challenging” after his parents, Sonya Curry. and retired Charlotte Hornets player Wardell “Dell” Curry Sr. separated.
After 33 years of marriage, they announced their separation in August 2021 after Sonya filed for divorce in North Carolina in June of that year.
There were accusations of infidelity on both sides, including Dell alleging his wife at the time had an affair with former New England Patriots and Virginia Tech football player Steve Johnson.
Sonya recently spoke about her divorce from the 1994 NBA Sixth Man of The Year during the Jan. 1 episode of “The Travis Hearn Podcast.” When asked how she’d encourage others going through a divorce amid other life circumstances, she got choked up and took a long pause.
“I’m still not through my divorce. I’m still… I tried,” Sonya confessed to the host, who also serves as senior pastor of Impact Church in Arizona, after taking a moment to compose herself.
She continued, “I moved into another relationship, not a marriage, but a relationship, and the whole time I was just like, ‘It’s not right.’”
After Dell, Sonya did date former NFL tight end, Steven Johnson in 2021.
The 58-year-old, self-described Christian went on to say she has since learned to “be still” when dealing with hardships like the end of a marriage.
Earlier in the interview, Sonya broke down how her life has changed since splitting from Dell, noting that she’s been suffering from imposter syndrome.
“God’s allowed me to do a lot of things, but I still think, deep down in here, until I was saved, I didn’t believe it. I just performed,” she acknowledged.
She continued, “You go through a lot of changes. I went through the divorce and been in the NBA for years, so a lot of things that became attached to me as my identity through performance, have gone away.”
Having spent a large part of her life in the public eye, Sonya was asked how she deals with personal issues like her divorce being criticized on social media.
“I’m OK with criticism,” the “Fierce Love” book author answered. “I literally will take social media fasts. I just did one last month for two months.”
Sonya also shared that she and her more famous relatives have discussions about the emotional strain of facing online hate.
“We’ve struggled with it. We struggle with having to have these conversations to calm people down, to also build them back up because of the criticism.”
The mother of three spoke about how she would prevent her then-young kids from reading newspapers when Dell was still in the league to prevent them from having a desire for praise from the press.
Dell and Sonya originally met at Virginia Tech in the 1980s and wed in 1988. She gave birth to three children by the 15th overall pick in the 1986 NBA draft.
Steph was born in March 1988. Their second son, Charlotte Hornets shooting guard Seth, followed in August 1990 and four years later their daughter, Sydel Curry-Lee, who is married to Golden State Warriors shooting guard Damion Lee, was born in October 1994.
Seth, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, and daughter Sydel, who is married to Golden State Warriors shooting guard Damion Lee.
When the Currys decided to part ways in 2021, they gave a joint statement to People revealing the decision came after a year-long trial separation.
Steph has been open about how his parent’s divorce affected him. He referred to the permanent change in his family dynamic as a tough situation in a February 2022 interview with The Ringer.
“I could be mad and be like, ‘Y’all effed this up.’ I could have that approach,” the four-time NBA champion professed. “But it’s going to be an acknowledgment of both of y’all in terms of how y’all raised me. The calmness I have in myself is because of y’all.”
While appearing on the “Tamron Hall” show in May 2022, Sonya responded to Steph calling her breakup with Dell “challenging” but also showing appreciation for his upbringing.
“At first, I was saddened because I know that this isn’t something easy for anybody,” Sonya told Hall. “This is a hard thing. And to feel like you cause other people pain in any situation is difficult.”
She added, “But then also I was just happy and fulfilled to know that the parenting and all the love and the nurturing that we’ve poured into our children is coming out that way and he’s able to express that.”
Dell, 60, remarried in 2023, just two years after his high-profile split from Sonya to a woman named Nicki Smith.
An Oct. 2023 interview with The Charlotte Observer featured Dell saying, “Life is great right now” with his new spouse. He also insisted that his children were happy for their union.
