Is it rare for NBA players to get into a confrontation with basketball enthusiasts? Not as rare as one would think. Things can get pretty intense on a basketball court due to the competition, and the fans attending the game may not help the situation. There have been regular instances of fans booing and jeering the visiting team, with some even insulting them. Occasionally, some fans take their passion for the sport too far and even abuse players’ families. Stephen Curry didn’t tolerate when his mother was caught in a fan’s antics.
After winning gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the night was Stephen Curry and his family’s to celebrate. However, Ayesha and Sonya’s intense confrontation with the Paris police that night spoiled things. Whether that played a role or not, but Curry allegedly seemed to be on edge when leaving the highly exclusive L’Avenue restaurant with his family. As a result, when one of the fans blocked Sonya’s view by waving a shirt, the gold medallist was not pleased.
“Watch out! Get that out of my mom’s face!” Curry yelled.
The Paris incident came right after a couple of episodes back home. The incidents put Curry’s angry side on display. During a segment of the Heat Check podcast co-hosted by his father Dell, the four-time NBA champion revealed that there have only been two instances when he has lashed out over a fan’s negative remark. One occurred when the Golden State Warriors went up against the Denver Nuggets in the 2013 Western Conference Playoffs. In the aftermath of Game 5, which Curry and Co. lost 107-100, he revealed hearing an offensive remark while heading down the tunnel. It was aimed at his wife Ayesha.
“I snapped back. I was like, ‘Say it to my face,’ and I went back to him and started pointing at him, and then some people grabbed me,” said Curry. “Because after we lost, I was already on edge and he said something about Ayesha. So, I was like, ‘All right, I’ve got to turn around and say something.’ He (the fan) kind of froze up. Carl Landry stole his towel. It was phenomenal. Little five-second moment.”
In 2019, Ayesha and Steph’s mother Sonya, became targets during the NBA Finals against the Warriors and the Toronto Raptors. Fans emerged outside the hotel where the former volleyball player was staying. Boos came from all sides as Sonya walked by, and one person repeatedly kept yelling “F**k you!” Four days before this, one Raptors fan was arrested for making reportedly vulgar comments about Ayesha on live TV. Curry addressed both incidents during a post-game presser.
“I think it’s kind of stupid, to be honest, in terms of people camping outside our hotel just to yell expletives at either us or our family members or whatever the case is,” said Curry. “But we handle all that stuff with class and try to ignore it the best we can. And if they get something out of it, so be it.”
However, even the NBA player’s words couldn’t stop him away from home, as evidenced by the Paris incident.
When it comes to the family, not many can blame the Warriors star for shielding his loved ones from the unwanted attention. Even LeBron James once asked for two NBA fans to be kicked out after they reportedly loudly wished an accident upon his son. Having been subjected to harassment for as long as the Warriors star has been on the court, the Curry family has adjusted. However, Curry doesn’t let everything go easily.
Did Sonya and Stephen Curry’s grandmother attempt to confront harassment?
When Raptors fans harassed Sonya in Toronto, Stephen Curry did respond. However, she did not choose to be quiet while being verbally abused. Stepping out from the bus alongside her then-husband Dell, she openly responded as “F**k you!” was repeatedly yelled in her direction.
Even Stephen Curry’s grandmother went ‘Gangsta Mode.’ During a segment of her Raising Fame podcast, Sonya revealed how she took her mother, Candy Adams, to a game and, as usual, faced jeers from fans of the home team. While Sonya was accustomed to the jeering and chose to ignore it, Steph’s grandmother had different ideas. “My mom does not know to hold her tongue, and the security people had to come up, because she will fight you. I’m not even joking, she will fight,” Sonya said in the podcast.