Charlotte Hornets Retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 Jersey in a Halftime Ceremony

Number 30 has made its way to the rafters. No, not Steph or Seth, but their father; top ten Hornets player, Dell Curry. With his Golden State Warriors sons and daughter in attendance, on Thursday evening the Charlotte Hornets retired Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey in a halftime ceremony.

Longtime NBA writer, Steve Aschburner; spoke on Curry’s big night. Regarding the jersey retirement, he says,

“Bench guys don’t usually get the jersey-in-the-rafters treatment. But Dell Curry has meant a lot more than that to the Charlotte Hornets. A player for the Hornets for 10 of his 16 NBA seasons, the 61-year-old guard is the closest the franchise has to a lifer. More than a marksman, he was also a super sub, finishing seventh or higher in balloting for the NBA Sixth Man of the Year award for five straight years.”

Dell Curry’s No. 30 jersey was hoisted into the rafters at Spectrum Center. During a halftime ceremony as the Hornets hosted Orlando and won big, 111-130. Dell’s jersey now joins Bobby Phills’ No. 13.

Nonetheless, during his tenure in the league, Dell Curry was one of the NBA’s sharpest of shooters. He was the only player in the 1990s, for instance, to shoot better than 40% from the arc in seven consecutive seasons. And when Curry decided it was time to hang it up, he had truly left his mark on Charlotte.

Dell retired as the franchise’s leader in games (701), points (9,839), field goals (3,951) and 3-pointers made (929). Kemba Walker eventually passed him in points, buckets and 3-pointers. Still, Curry ranks in the team’s Top 10 in 10 categories, including steals (fourth) and assists (10th).

Regarding his career and legacy, Dell reflected on how he was able to find his own lane in the NBA and be very successful. Even if that meant “taking a backseat.” He mentions,

“Any young player wants to come in and be a star. But as you mature and age and figure out how to make a career in the NBA, I found this role would fit me and best help my team. I didn’t feel I was diminished as a player at all. It’s a damn important role to have somebody count on you to that degree.

The year I won [Sixth Man], Hersey Hawkins sacrificed a lot as a starter and I finished a lot of games. That’s just the chemistry we had in that locker room.”

Dell Curry retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in bench scoring (11,147). Additionally, flash forward to today and he still ranks third in this category; trailing only Lou Williams (13,396) and Jamal Crawford (11,279). Curry started only 99 of the 1,083 games he played, thus making him a rare; but much appreciated sighting among the jersey-retirement set.

Charlotte Hornets Retire Dell Curry’s No. 30 Jersey in a Halftime Ceremony

Dell is now the first “30” in the Curry family to see the iconic jersey number raised to the rafters of an NBA arena. By the expression on his face, the very emotion in his eyes; it was plain to see this moment was thrilling for Dell. May not be the Hall of Fame; but its recognition that shall always be raised high for all to see.

Dell Curry summed the overall experience up saying, “From [the announcement] to now, I’ve had so many people reach out, well-wishes and congrats. Grateful, humble, obviously blessed to be in this organization forever. It doesn’t just represent me. It’s all my teammates, coaches, and the fans as well. The Hall of Fame is great, but you actually have to go to the Hall to see who’s there. For Hornets fans, anybody who visits Spectrum Center for games or concerts, whatever, is going to see that.” What a great night, congratulations Dell Curry.

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