Rookie hazing is common in the NBA. From putting pop corn in the rookie's car to making him run an errand, almost all players today have experienced it. In fact, Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is no exception despite being the son of a former NBAer.
While playing in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament last week, Curry opened up to Chris Simms of NBC Sports about the troublesome rookie initiation he received from a veteran teammate. According to Curry, the unnamed vet took his phone after practice and before a road trip and left it in the locker, prompting him to buy another one.
Of course, there's also the usual errands of making him buy snacks and video games — all at Curry's expense.
Via Drew Shiller of NBC Sports:
“I had a vet when I was a rookie — I had my phone, mind you I'm dating my now wife at the time and I'm going on a road trip so I need my phone obviously — we had finished practice and we were headed to the airport, and he knew where my phone was.
“He knew I always put it in this little pocket in my backpack. So after practice, I go get in the shower and put my phone in there. I'm kind of late so I'm hustling. He knows after I get out the shower I'm probably not gonna grab my phone.
“Take my phone, locks it in his locker. I get all the way to the airport and realize I don't have my phone. I get off the plane in Oklahoma City, not only did he make me leave my phone at home so I had to go to the store to get another one, he sent me on basically a two-hour errand run to go get video games and snacks.
“This is before Uber or Lyft so I'm in the yellow cab and paying for everything. That's just a headache.”
Steph was drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NBA Draft. He was immediately a starter for the Warriors back then, playing in 80 games in his rookie season.
While Curry did not name who the vet was, there are already a few suspects. Mikki Moore, Devean George and Corey Maggette are the most experienced players in Golden State back then, though there are also the likes of Vladimir Radmanovic, Ronny Turiaf and Monta Ellis.