Stephen Curry was the king of the campus once again when the Golden State Warriors star returned to his alma mater Davidson College on Wednesday.
Curry, who attended the school from 2006 to 2009, was honored with a solo graduation ceremony from the North Carolina college, which also retired the athlete’s jersey during his visit. The 34-year-old graduate completed his degree in May, 13 years after he exited the college for the NBA draft. Davidson presented Curry with his diploma, a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology.
In addition to his academic achievements, Curry was also honored for his athletic excellence, as Davidson retired his no. 30 jersey during Wednesday’s festivities.
According to WBTV, Curry is the first player to have their jersey retired at Davidson College.
Davidson enlisted the entire school’s community for the event, with thousands attending Curry’s one-man graduation ceremony. The NBA MVP was joined by family and friends to celebrate the major milestone, including his father Dell Curry, who took the podium on Wednesday. “This is awesome, man,” Dell said at the podium. “This is good stuff here. Coach, this might be the best day ever to be a Wildcat!”
RELATED: Stephen Curry Graduates College 13 Years After Leaving for the NBA: ‘Had to See It Through’
A star from the start on the Davidson basketball team, Stephen helped catapult the Davidson Wildcats all the way to the Elite Eight in the 2008 NCAA Tournament. He joined the Warriors as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, where he has remained since.
Davidson Basketball/Twitter
Davidson had been planning a special event for Curry since May, when he completed the courses necessary to graduate. Davidson shared a congratulatory post on social media addressed to Curry, and relayed that the school looked forward to an opportunity where the athlete could be presented with his diploma in person.
Gregory Shamus/Getty