A new documentary about NBA star Steph Curry premiered at Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 23 focusing on family, community and overcoming the odds.
“Steph came of age at a small unknown college outside Charlotte, North Carolina (Davidson) that was much like himself: unknown and not seen on the level of some of the top colleges in America,” film director Peter Nicks said.
Nicks was curious about how Curry’s small school experience shaped him into the person and basketball player he is today. “What I found was a riveting story with all the twists and turns you hope a movie can have,” Nicks said.
The co-writer and director of Creed and the Black Panther movies, Ryan Coogler, produced the film. “It’s about someone who was told ‘no’ a lot, someone who was told they weren’t good enough and how they overcame that and continue to,” Coogler said.
Coogler mentioned that another major theme of the film is perseverance and learning how to deal with failure. “Maybe your goal is not coming true and how do you pick up the pieces and move forward, and believe that there’s a plan for you,” Coogler said.
The Sundance Institute website says the documentary “gives us a glimpse into Curry’s personal life as he juggles the demands of his professional career to fulfill a promise he made to his mother: he would get his college degree.”
Many of Curry’s former college teammates as well as the former Davidson coach, Bob McKillop, were at the premiere. McKillop commented on unique attributes he saw in Steph Curry as a college athlete.
McKillop said he had “humility blended with confidence. Most people in our world today have confidence but they blend it with arrogance.” He went on to say that within politics, business and even sports, it is a very “look at me” world. He said Curry has the ability to defer to teammates and others which is a result of this blend of both humility and confidence.
Curry’s mom, Sonya Curry, also commented on personality traits that contributed to her son’s success. “He cares about everybody. He wants everybody to be okay and I think that’s transferrable to his team as well,” she said.
She added that he focuses on making sure that everybody gets involved, almost to the detriment of himself. “He really really cares about family, he cares about team and that is a testimony really to him and who he is,” she said.
Steph Curry said the film showed the “precollege and college days that kind of made me who I am and set me on my path in the NBA and everything I learned about myself.” He continued by saying that he had to learn how to pursue greatness but still be in the moment.
“Everybody sees the finished product, the accomplishments, the championships, the great things that have happened, but it all started from somewhere,” Steph Curry said. He mentioned that the movie focuses on what made him who he is.
“It is a movie that I believe everyone will see a little piece of themselves in. Because we all yearn to be seen, for our voices to be heard and to rise to the potential we know we have,” Nicks said.
“Stephen Curry: Underrated” is expected to be released on Apple TV later this year.
