Stephen Curry's Jersey Won't be Retired by Davidson Until He Graduates

Stephen Curry is Davidson basketball’s most iconic product, but the reigning NBA MVP will need to become an academic alumnus before the school retires his No. 30 jersey.

According to C.L. Brown of ESPN.com, Davidson only retires jersey numbers of players who graduated, and Curry hasn’t yet completed his degree obligations since entering the NBA following his junior season in 2009.

Curry acknowledged he plans to fulfill his academic responsibilities, per Brown:

"

I knew what I signed up for when I went to Davidson. I made a promise to coach [Bob] McKillop and my family that when I left school back in '09 that that would be accomplished—and it will be soon. Hopefully sooner than later.

[...]

It's still a priority for sure; obviously there's a lot going on right now. Taking advantage of my career right now on the court in the NBA, it's only a very short window, so you want to give all the attention and effort. But to be able to finish out that part of my life, whenever it does happen, will be huge.

"

Curry, who is majoring in sociology, according to his Davidson bio, led the mid-major Wildcats to the Elite Eight as the Cinderella of the 2008 NCAA tournament before falling to eventual champion Kansas.

That season Curry set the NCAA single-season record with 162 three-pointers, was a finalist for the Wooden Award and named to the All-America Second Team by the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, ESPN and Sporting News. 

He returned for his junior season and shifted from shooting guard to point guard, though Davidson failed to make the NCAA tournament, and Curry’s hot reputation took somewhat of a hit. But the decision—he told reporters “I don’t think I’m ready” for the NBA after his remarkable run as a sophomore—paid off massively in his overall development into the NBA's MVP. 

Curry led the Golden State Warriors to the league’s best record (67-15) a year ago en route to the team’s first NBA title in 40 years. He and the Warriors picked up right where they left off and are still riding the best start in league history, currently at 20-0.

His academic timeline remains unclear, however. Davidson does not offer summer classes, per Brown, and when the Warriors’ season ends—probably late in June given the way they’re playing—he’ll likely join Team USA in preparation for the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, which will run Aug. 5-21.