J Paul Johnson
As the face of the National Basketball Association for the last decade and a half, Stephen Curry is as dependable as they come. A four-time NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, a two-time league MVP, and a nine-time All-Star, he’s one of the sport’s most recognizable icons, a future Hall of Famer who has revolutionized the game with his uncanny three-point range and arsenal of offensive moves. It’s almost impossible to remember there was a time when he literally couldn’t get a look, and that’s the story told in Apple TV’s new feature documentary Stephen Curry: Underrated, a coming-of-age story that examines the star’s life and sport before he became the great athlete that he is.
The Peter Nicks-directed documentary, a mix of behind-the-scenes vérité, archival footage, and on-camera interviews, begins with the big picture: once an undersized youth player with a flawed game, then a small D1 baller with more aspiration than potential, to the architect of a dominant hoops dynasty. It’s not as if the basics of Curry’s story are unknown, but Nicks excels at finding, in Curry’s family and work ethic, the seed of his remarkable drive to succeed and brings to the documentary a rich emotional payoff. Ultimately, the great accomplishments of Curry’s life take place not in the crowded arena but at home, on the practice court, in the weight room, and in the classroom.
Born Wardell Stephen Curry, Jr. to former Virginia Tech and later NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry and his wife Sonya, herself a VT all-conference student-athlete in volleyball, young Stephen almost always had a flair for the game. Even when playing against grown men twice, three times his size, he could load up and score from almost anywhere on the court. That’s, of course, if he could get open. His small size required he shoot literally from the hip, a flaw in his game that wouldn’t stand if he were to grow beyond the schoolyard.
The Currys knew this and consigned their son to what was by all accounts a miserable summer where young Stephen had to practice hours a day shooting the “right” way: ball above his head, a balanced release, a consistent follow-through. That meant standing mere feet from the net in order to develop the technique; no games, no dribbling, no three-point hipshots, and significantly, no fun. (I’m reminded of young Andre Agassi, standing yards in front of his dad’s jerry-rigged souped-up ball machine in Las Vegas, swatting ball after ball at an insanely rapid pace to develop his skills.) The poor kid nearly quit, but with his parents’ encouragement, persevered. It was just one of several key moments in an ongoing theme Nicks develops throughout Underrated.
Armed with a newly effective shooting technique that let him get off more shots with better consistency and accuracy, Curry became a real prospect. Just tall enough to start at guard, he led his high school team to three conference titles and three state playoff appearances, earning all-conference and all-state honors. But at a slender 160 pounds, he still couldn’t get the attention of Division 1 NCAA schools. Even Virginia Tech, where his father played, wouldn’t offer him a scholarship. Only little Davidson College, among the smallest schools in D1, recruited him with any zeal.
There, Curry developed a strong relationship with old-school coach Bob McKillop, but even earning the respect of his new teammates, coach, and competitors took time. Still slight, Curry struggled out of the gate, making 13 turnovers in his first game. Coach McKillop stuck with his young recruit, and his patience paid off: Curry led the Wildcats to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances, leading the nation in scoring and becoming a consensus first team All-American. Curry’s college career is the second act of Nicks’ film and where he spends a good deal of time charting his subject’s growth and development.
Even for all of his accomplishments at Davidson, however, one important goal remained incomplete for Curry. Having left school for the NBA draft after his junior year, Curry left his degree unfinished. Nicks makes what might have been a footnote in another star’s documentary a significant thematic in Underrated. That lack of a diploma, for all his later accomplishments, motivated a new life goal for Curry, who wanted to set an example for his own children. It was, moreover, a point of pride for Curry’s mother Sonya, who had been the first in her own family to earn a college degree. For all of her son’s impressive accomplishments, it is his eventual return to the classroom to earn his degree—Stephen left Davidson in 2009 and earned his degree 13 years later in 2022—that fills her the most full of pride.
On the court, Curry’s accomplishments leading the Warriors to four NBA titles and revolutionizing the game with his highlight-reel scoring would make for enough footage to sustain a feature-length documentary consisting of nothing but him scoring. I’d watch—and anytime Curry is on court, I do, but Nicks tells the story behind the scenes. Curry is nothing if not driven, to reshape his body, to hone his technique, to train his mind, to please his parents, to teach his children, to motivate his teammates, all of these with a remarkable dedication. That he became not just a successful athlete but a college graduate and a mature citizen with a rich, full life, surrounded by family, is the focus of Nicks’ documentary.
There is where Underrated earns its spot in the lineup of excellent sports docs. The best of these are willing to transcend their sports. Sure, Stephen Curry is a generational player and future Hall of Famer, a human highlight reel, and a hard worker. But there’s something else Peter Nicks is smart enough to take notice of in Underrated, and it’s what makes his documentary stand apart from other more standard fare. Beyond the highlights and championships, here is a story of a young man fulfilling a promise.
It’s a good one.
Produced by Peter Nicks and Ryan Coogler through Proximity Media, Erick Peyton through Curry’s Unanimous Media and Sean Havey, Ben Cotner and Marissa Torres Ericson, Stephen Curry: Underrated premieres July 21, 2023 on AppleTV+.
