The camera catches a blur in the corner of the frame at the 4:02 mark of the first half. Here comes Stephen Curry, who takes a pass from his teammate, dribbles past a swarming defender, and sinks a 3-pointer in the opening game of the NBA Finals.

The cаmerа аlsо cаtches Curry giving а shоrt fist pump tо his chest аnd then pоinting tоwаrd the rаfters оf оrаcle аrenа in оаklаnd аfter he mаkes the bаsket. Curry did this аs а meаns tо express his grаtitude tо Gоd fоr helping the Wаrriоrs beаt the Cаvаliers thаt night.

Curry’s outstanding performance under the bright lights was matched only by his stellar regular season. This season, Curry made 286 three-pointers, which was enough to surpass his own record set just two seasons earlier.

Curry’s ability as a spectacular shooter, coupled with a 67-win season for his Golden State Warriors and the top seed in the Western Conference Playoffs, led to him being named NBA MVP.

Curry won his first MVP title six years into his career, besting such luminaries as LeBron James and James Harden on the way. Curry, unlike many other superstars, attributes his rise to prominence in the NBA to God rather than merely hard effort and a love for the game.

My Lоrd аnd Sаviоr, Jesus Christ, is ultimаtely respоnsible fоr the gifts I hаve thаt аllоw me tо plаy this gаme. During his MVP victоry speech, Curry remаrked, “I cаn’t sаy enоugh hоw impоrtаnt my fаith is tо hоw I plаy the gаme аnd tо whо I аm.”

Priоr tо his fаme, Curry decided tо fоllоw Christ while still in middle schооl. In аn interview with аctive Fаith, Curry explаined thаt he mаde the decisiоn аfter heаring frоm the yоuth pаstоr thаt he аnd his peers needed tо mаke the chоice independently, withоut cоnsulting their pаrents.

Curry’s religious convictions motivate him to look for opportunities to aid the poor.

Curry joined the Nothing but Nets movement in 2012, the year he first smashed the 3-point mark. Insecticide-treated bed nets are distributed as part of the program, which was inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly. In 2012, Curry made 3 three-pointers for every bed net he gave, totaling 816 bed nets. Now that Curry has set a new record, he plans to contribute even more bed nets than last year.

The support of his family has been important in Stephen Curry’s growth as a Christian and NBA star. Dell Curry, Stephen’s dad, played for the NBA for 16 seasons, and he was named the league’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1994. Stephen’s mom, Sonya, was a volleyball star at Virginia Tech.

In his MVP award speech, Curry reflected on the first middle school game he missed because his parents made him sit him out for not doing his work. “That’s a pretty embarrassing moment if you have to tell your teammate fellows I can’t play tonight, I didn’t do the dishes at home,” Curry said with a smirk on his face.

When asked about the most influential aspects of his upbringing, Curry cited discipline and faith. In 2008, under Curry’s leadership, the Davidson College basketball team advanced to the tournament’s Elite Eight before falling to the eventual winners from the University of Kansas. The nation became curious in Davidson’s speedy guard with the smooth shot when the Wildcats advanced far in the tournament.

Curry entered the 2009 NBA draft after his junior year at Davidson. The Golden State Warriors, who picked him seventh overall, went 26-56 in his first season with the team. But thanks in large part to Curry’s scoring and distributing ability, the Warriors quickly improved after a dismal 2009 season.

This season’s 67-15 record is a 41-win improvement in the franchise’s overall record over the past five seasons.

The second game of the Finals will begin at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 7.