Steph Curry turned the No. 30 into one of the most iconic jersey numbers in the NBA—a number he chose to honor his father, Dell Curry, who wore it throughout his own 16-year NBA career. But history could have looked completely different, because Dell wanted to wear a different number in college.
Speaking to Front Office Sports ahead of the Charlotte Hornets officially retiring his jersey on Thursday, the 1994 Sixth Man of the Year said he first chose the No. 30 in high school, but wanted to change when he started his college career at Virginia Tech.
“I went to play in the United States All-American game. They didn’t have 30, and so I took 15, and I played very well,” Curry said. “So I was going to change my number to 15 when I got to college, but they had a fifth-year senior wearing that number. So I said, I’ll just take my high school number back, no big deal. Never changed again. And fortunately, every team that I played for [in the NBA], all five teams, had the number 30 available.”
The No. 30 has become synonymous with the Curry family, especially since Steph has turned into a two-time MVP, a four-time NBA champion, and one of the most popular and decorated players of his era. Steph’s younger brother, Seth, has also worn the No. 30 through most of his NBA career, though he’s No. 31 now that the brothers are teammates on the Warriors.
Steph’s jersey has perennially been at the top of the best-selling jerseys list for most of his career, and occupied the top spot for the first half of the 2025–26 season. He has also carried the number across his brand identity, from his original logo to his company’s name, SC30 Inc.
If Dell played in the No. 15, it’s possible Steph’s iconic number would have also been 15. He would have been free to wear that number in college at Davidson and with the Warriors. Dell would have also had access to the digits throughout his NBA career, outside of his final three years, when he played with Toronto alongside Vince Carter.
But why did Dell Curry wear No. 30 in high school? Curry said he’s not exactly sure whether Don Landes, his coach at Fort Defiance High School in Virginia, assigned him the number, or if Curry just picked it.
“It was so long ago,” Curry said. “Either he gave it to me, or I just said: ‘I’ll just take 30.’ I like the round number.” He added that Landes is expected to attend the retirement ceremony.
Curry’s jersey will be retired at the Spectrum Center on Thursday when the Hornets host the Magic. Both Steph and Seth are expected to be in attendance.
Notably, Seth played 76 games with the Hornets over two seasons, and also wore No. 30, meaning he could also lay claim to the Curry jersey climbing to the rafters on Thursday. Dell said he plans to refer to that family connection during his speech.
“I’m going to say: ‘Hey, Seth, I guess both of our jerseys are going up in the rafters representing Curry 30,’” Dell Curry joked. “Totally blessed that there’ll be a part of it, and that Seth will really have a piece of that jersey in the rafters.”
