Dell Curry officially joins Bobby Phills in rare Hornets honor

Roderick Boone, The Charlotte Observer on Mar 19, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Long before pulling into the arena in a white luxury SUV, which arrived some three hours before the actual event, the magnitude of it all registered.

After taking part in a favorite pastime and firing a 73 on a sunshine-splashed day, and away from the camaraderie of former teammates, Dell Curry’s mind wandered as he reflected on the ultimate career achievement.

“I’m driving back to my house by myself and I got a little emotional thinking, ‘Wow, this is really happening,’ ” Curry sad. “My jersey is going into the rafters.’ Calmed down a little bit, took a shower, got dressed and here I am.

“It’s been a really good week and this is a big deal. I understand how big of a deal it is. … I’ve been trying to slow down as much as possible so I can soak it all in. It’s going to be over fast, but I know how big of a deal this is.”

With sons Steph and Seth in attendance thanks to the Golden State Warriors having a scheduled night off, along with daughter Sydel, Curry’s wife and a host of grandchildren, Curry’s No. 30 jersey was officially raised to the upper reaches of Spectrum Center during halftime of the Charlotte Hornets’ big matchup with the Orlando Magic.

The jersey of the 61-year-old joined Bobby Phills, whose No. 13 was retired on Feb. 9, 2000, about a month after his death in a car accident.

Given the night off from his usual TV color analyst duties alongside play-by-play man Eric Collins, Curry spent the first half watching the game sitting in the courtside seats of Hornets co-owners Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin, flanked by Steph and Seth and Curry’s wife, Nicki Smith. That gave him plenty of time to gather himself and ensure he had his thoughts together while enjoying the Hornets’ thrashing of their Southeast Division foe.

Throughout his five-minute, 58-second speech, Curry thanked many of those who helped him along the way on a winding path that took him from a small town in Virginia to the NBA. They included his mother and his high school coach Don Landes. As well as the fans.

“I’m just a country boy from Grottos,” Curry said.

Ownership lauded Curry during the ceremony.

“Dell is a man of great character,” Schnall said, “and a true representation of Hornets DNA.”

Curry nearly kept it together emotionally, eventually mirroring what happened during his pregame interview. Prior to taking the court and giving his speech, Curry fought off tears while discussing how much having his family around to celebrate with him meant.

“Steph actually stopped by the house, changed his clothes on the way here,” Curry said. “Got to talk to Seth and my daughter as well, and my sister, my mom. They were all there (Wednesday) night. So many people played a part in this, especially those people that are closest to me. You can’t put into words of everything that goes on in a family.

“My family, we live in the public eye. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s not. But they’ve handled everything, with class, dignity. And you can’t teach that. It’s something that they have to go through and learn through.”

Curry, who claimed the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 1993-94 thanks to averaging a career-best 16.3 points, retired as the franchise’s all-time leader in games played (701), points (9,839), field-goals made (3,951) and 3-pointers (929). He also ranks in the top 10 in several key categories, solidifying his place in the Hornets’ history.

He’s synonymous with Charlotte and is now immortalized.

“We’ve had a lot of owners,” Curry said, “but this group has really wrapped their arms around me as a legend, and Muggsy (Bogues) and everybody else, all the other players and employees that are still with this organization. I’ve been in this city since ‘88, so I’ve got a ton of friends and family who live here.

“From the workers, the staff, the people in this building, people at the old Hive, it’s just a family feeling from my time back then and all the way up until now that makes me really proud to still be a part of this organization. With the new ownership, we’re just getting started. You see a lot of excitement, enthusiasm, the atmosphere the last month or so has felt like the old Hive.”