With a teenager and a toddler at home, Curry says fatherhood brings plenty of chaos, but he would not trade it for anything. Stephen Curry has spent much of his adult life under bright lights, breaking NBA records and collecting championships. Away from the court, though, the Golden State Warriors star faces a challenge that has nothing to do with basketball: raising four children at very different stages of life.
Riley, the eldest, was 13 at the time of Curry’s 2025 interview with PEOPLE, while Caius was only 15 months old. In between them are Ryan, 10, and Canon, 7. He has won four NBA championships and two MVP awards, while his influence on the game extends far beyond his statistics.
“Every day is a wild experience, and I’m enjoying every little bit of it,” the NBA star says. “We’ve got a really cool spread now with a 13-year-old and a 15-month-old, so we’re seeing a lot of it on a daily basis,” he says. “But it is such a blessing, and really weird, that I’m now in the same position as a parent that I grew up in as a kid,” he adds.
For Curry, life at home looks very different from the controlled routine of professional basketball. He and his wife, Ayesha Curry, are raising Riley, Ryan, Canon and their youngest child, Caius. The age gap between the children means the couple is dealing with several very different versions of childhood at once. That range creates a household where no two days are quite the same. A teenager may need independence and honest conversations, while a toddler requires constant attention. The younger children bring their own needs and personalities into the mix. “Fans would see there’s no such thing as balance, but you try every day to figure it out. Curry does not pretend that parenting four children is easy. Instead, he appears to see the unpredictability as part of the reward. That perspective is important for a father whose professional life demands structure, preparation and intense focus. At home, the rules are different. There is noise, negotiation, laughter and plenty of unexpected moments. One of the biggest lessons Curry has learned is that parenting cannot follow a single formula. The rules may be shared across the household, but the way he connects with each child has to change. Curry’s basketball career has placed him among the most accomplished players of his generation. Yet his comments about parenting reveal a softer side of a player usually associated with fierce competitiveness. The contrast seems to be exactly what Curry appreciates. That observation connects his current family life with his childhood. Curry knows what it feels like to watch a parent compete at the highest level. Now his own children are experiencing something similar. The difference is that his children are growing up in an era when their father’s fame is much larger than their grandfather’s was during his playing days. Stephen has also spoken about the importance of giving his children confidence while allowing them to build their own identities. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines For Curry, the real achievement may not be another record or championship. It is being present as his children grow, even when their needs pull him in four different directions. There may be no perfect balance. Curry knows that. But perhaps that is the lesson behind his story. Fatherhood is not about getting every moment right. It is about showing up, learning who your children are and finding joy in the messy parts along the way. For one of basketball’s most polished performers, the biggest role of his life remains the one he plays when the game is over: being dad. Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.
PEOPLE has previously reported that Curry has encouraged his children to enjoy sports without placing pressure on them to follow him into basketball.
“Your ability to communicate and build trust with each one individually — like, you set up rules for the house, but each one has to be parented a little differently,” he says. “They all teach me something every day… they’re hilarious — they ask questions that make you think,” he shares. “That’s the one part of the parent playbook that we kept — just cut, copy, and paste,” he says. It is a simple rule, but it says plenty about the Curry household. “I guess the only thing is, when they come to games now, they’re a little spoiled in the sense that they try to get every snack, candy, treat — whatever you wanna call it,” he says.
“That’s the cool part of the experience as a parent, and I’m loving every single minute of it. That approach also reflects Curry’s belief that his children should be allowed to develop their own identities. “There’s not anything super specific, other than realizing they’re so unique. They all came from the same place, but they have such different personalities. It is an especially meaningful point for a family whose surname carries enormous weight in professional sports. Stephen is an NBA superstar, while his father, Dell Curry, enjoyed a long NBA career and his brother Seth has also played in the league. Yet Stephen does not appear interested in forcing his children into the same path. Instead, the focus is on helping them discover what makes them happy. Riley, for example, has developed an interest in volleyball, while the younger children are still exploring their own interests. Despite the relaxed atmosphere at home, Stephen and Ayesha do have boundaries. One of their clearest rules concerns attending his NBA games on school nights. The policy comes directly from Stephen’s childhood. His parents, Dell and Sonya Curry, followed a similar approach when Stephen and Seth were growing up and Dell was playing professional basketball. “And to me and Ayesha’s kind of expectations, it’s priorities first. You know, on school nights you gotta make sure you’re getting your rest so you can get to school, have a good time, and learn. If you’re not taking care of your homework or your chores, you lose privileges that way. Fame does not erase ordinary responsibilities. School comes first. Homework matters. Chores matter. Sleep matters. Then there are the exceptions. Game days are where Stephen admits the Curry children receive a little more freedom. “There’s really no limit at games ’cause I want ’em to have fun. But that’s the part that gets a little hard when you’re chasing around three — now four — kids at our games. For a child, watching dad play in front of thousands of fans is already exciting. Add unlimited treats to the experience, and it becomes even more memorable.