Steph Curry just pulled off the ultimate assist.
The NBA great, 36, was selected by 310 Provisions — the group behind the food at the Los Angeles Clippers’ new Intuit Dome — to handpick the popcorn that would be served at the arena when it opens in August 2024. And he was specific about his choice.
“Steph Curry has actually ranked every single facility for their popcorn,“ CEO of Halo Sports and Entertainment Gillian Zucker told the Los Angeles Times, referring to Curry’s 2019 ranking of every NBA arena’s popcorn.
“And we’re like, ‘We want our popcorn to be the best so maybe he’d come and try it.’ We asked him and he said he would,” said Zucker.
While the Clippers’ former home of the Staples Center (now the Crypto.com Arena), sat in last place in Curry’s previous ranking, the point guard threw them an alley-oop this time around so he could enjoy a nice snack on the road whenever his Golden State Warriors touch down in Inglewood.
“So he went through about, I don’t know, 10 different options and I’m thinking, ‘How much does this guy really know about popcorn?’ but he got in and he starts talking about popcorn and explaining. [He said]: ‘It should have a crunch, it has to be a butterfly shape and it should melt in your mouth and that’s what determines good popcorn,” Zucker said in a video for the Times.
Curry’s selected kernels for the savory option ended up being a crunchy, butterfly-shaped popcorn from Nebraska with melty butter.
As the Times notes, the sweet selection required insight from the team’s operations crews, the Intuit Dome itself, the Kia Forum and the G-league’s San Diego Clippers. The selected butter toffee popcorn features “a sweet, crunchy coating that’s as addictive as your favorite potato chip,” per the outlet.
As for Curry’s love of popcorn, he previously told the New York Times in 2019 that he’s a “popcorn addict,” adding that if the snack is “really good,” he’d find himself eating it “before the game, at halftime and after.”
His popcorn ranking from five years ago featured all then-29 NBA arenas’ popcorn broken down into five categories: freshness, saltiness, crunchiness, butter and presentation.
At the top of the list was the Dallas Mavericks’ American Airlines Arena, which scored a 24/25 total points, only losing a single point for its crunchiness. The Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat trailed just behind at 23 and 22 points, respectively, for their kernels.
“I consider it a factor in my overall enjoyment of playing in a road environment,” Curry said at the time. “If your popcorn is bad, it affects my mood.”
