On most NBA teams, Seth Curry would be No. 30. On the Warriors, Seth will be No. 31, after unsuccessfully trying to buy the number from his more famous brother.
Stephen’s younger brother, made his debut with the Warriors on Tuesday a day after he signed with the team for the remainder of the season. The Warriors signed the younger Curry in the preseason, but because of the team’s financial constraints—the Warriors are hard-capped at the CBA’s second-apron—Seth didn’t start the season with the team. The Warriors entered the season with 14 players and had to create enough space for Seth to fit the prorated salary with the open roster spot.
Both Curry brothers traditionally wear No. 30 in honor of their father Dell, a 16-year pro who donned the number during his own playing career, but Seth had to settle for No. 31 with the Warriors because his older brother had it first.
“I tried to buy it from him,” Seth said when he first signed with the Warriors in October. “[Steph] said he didn’t need the money. I don’t think the NBA would like that, either.”
The signing of Seth did not require the brothers to change the name on the backs of their jerseys to further differentiate the two players the way some colleges and other leagues do. Brothers are common across basketball, especially twins, but the NBA relies on player numbers to identify them instead of having both. The league used to have a policy that called for specifications to player names on their jerseys when called for, a Warriors spokesperson told Front Office Sports, but relaxed it over the years.
Other leagues have similar practices. In the NFL, the Jets boasted brothers Quincy and Quinnen Williams at the start of the season before trading Quinnen to the Cowboys in November. The backs of both brothers’ jerseys only had their last name on it, which is also how the NHL handled brothers Luke and Jack Hughes, who both play for the Devils.
Stephen Curry’s jersey annually ranks among the highest-selling in the league. In April, his jersey finished the 2024-25 season as the second-highest sold, trailing only Lakers star Luka Dončić. Had the NBA’s previous policy been in effect, the back of his jersey could have hypothetically gone from ‘Curry’ to ‘St. Curry’ or ‘W. Curry’ (Stephen’s legal first name is Wardell, the same as his father), while Seth’s could have been ‘Se. Curry.’
“I could lead the league in jersey sales for once,” Seth joked in October when told the Curry/No. 30 wouldn’t change had he gotten it.
Seth had a strong debut for the Warriors, scoring 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting in 18 minutes, but he will have to wait before he plays alongside his brother. Stephen is currently out with a left quadriceps contusion, which he injured in a loss to the Rockets last week. Whenever the Curry brothers play together, they will become the first set of brothers to play for the Warriors in the organization’s nearly 80-year history.
