Eddy Curry

Eddy Curry

No. 34 – Miami Heat
Center
Personal information
Born	December 5, 1982 (1982-12-05) Harvey, Illinois
Nationality	American
High school	Thornwood
Listed height	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)
Listed weight	295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
NBA Draft	2001 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Pro career	2001–present
Career history
2001–2005	Chicago Bulls
2005–2011	New York Knicks
2011–present	Miami Heat
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Eddy Curry (born December 5, 1982) is an American professional basketball player with the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association. He was born in Harvey, Illinois. He is listed at 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) and 295 lb (134 kg), and has a wingspan of 7 ft 6 ¹⁄₂ in (2.299 m).

Basketball career

High school

Prior to becoming considered one of the best high school basketball players in the nation as a senior at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, Curry aspired to be a gymnast and did not pick up basketball until the seventh grade when he reluctantly went out for the school team. In 2001, Curry led his team to second place in the IHSA State Playoffs. For his efforts, Curry was named 2001 Illinois Mr. Basketball. He was named to the 1998, 1999 and 2000 State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament teams.

NBA Draft

Curry had signed a letter of intent to play at DePaul University but declared himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft in which the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick.

Professional career

Curry with the Knicks

Curry's contribution was limited during his rookie year due to limited minutes. Curry improved in his second year, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (58.5%) and becoming the first Bull to lead the league in a major statistical category since Michael Jordan in 1998. His 2002–03 season was widely considered a disappointment as he failed to live up to expectations after a strong finish to the previous year. In the 2004–05 season the Bulls improved by 28 wins and made the playoffs as the 22-year-old Curry led the team in scoring before being hospitalized with an irregular heartbeat. This caused him to miss the last 13 games of the regular season and the entire playoffs. On June 24, 2005, heart specialists cleared Curry to resume practice. On October 3, 2005, after refusing on privacy grounds to submit to a DNA test, as requested by Bulls management, to assess whether he has a congenital heart condition, Curry was traded to the New York Knicks. The trade included the Bulls' Antonio Davis, as well as the Knicks' Mike Sweetney, Tim Thomas, and Jermaine Jackson. First-round draft picks were also exchanged in the trade—which later came back to haunt the Knicks as they had a poor 2005–06 season in which Curry averaged 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game (numbers that were significantly down from the previous season). Curry's inability to defend and rebound was a source of frustration for former coaches Scott Skiles and Larry Brown. When asked by a reporter in 2003 what Curry needed to do to become a better rebounder, Skiles simply replied: "Jump." The 2006–07 season saw a resurgence in Curry's performance under new coach Isiah Thomas, with Curry anointed the team's primary offensive option, averaging career highs in points (19.6), rebounds (7.1), and minutes (34.9) per game. On April 7, 2007 Curry scored a career-best 43 points in an overtime win over the Milwaukee Bucks; his first three-pointer of the season forcing the game into the extra period. Curry is 2 for 2 (100%) from three-point range in his NBA career. In the 2007–2008 season, Curry was expected to form a great frontcourt with Zach Randolph, however both of them saw a regression in their games. Curry showed up to training camp in October 2008 out of shape for the second year in a row, incensing new head coach Mike D'Antoni. Curry not only lost his job, but was not even in D'Antoni's rotation at the beginning of the 2008–2009 season. Curry was also bothered by a sore right knee for much of the season. Curry played his first game of the season on January 8, 2009 against the Dallas Mavericks and played in two other games later in the season. During the 2009 off-season Curry began working with a trainer on a fitness and weight-loss regimen. As of mid-July he had lost 30 pounds, but according to the trainer it would be "delusional" for coaches to think he could get down to his listed weight of 285 pounds.

On February 22, 2011, Curry was traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a three-way blockbuster deal which also involved Denver Nuggets that brought Carmelo Anthony to New York. On March 1, 2011, his contract was bought out by the Timberwolves before he played a single game for them, making him a free agent.

On December 10, 2011, Curry signed a one year contract with the Miami Heat. On January 19, 2012, a noticeably-slimmer Curry played in the NBA for the first time since 2009, against the Los Angeles Lakers. He lost nearly 100 pounds since he last played in the NBA, and scored six points in six minutes in his NBA debut.

Cardiac problems

Several prominent cardiologists cleared Curry to play, but Barry Maron, a world-renowned specialist in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, suggested a DNA test. During the team's media day, Bulls General Manager John Paxson said he understood the privacy issues involved but insisted the Bulls did not have an ulterior motive. Their concern was a situation similar to those of former Boston Celtics guard Reggie Lewis or Loyola Marymount star Hank Gathers—players with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy who collapsed and died. Paxson and Bulls management even offered Curry a $20 million annuity if he took the test and it determined he had the condition.

Personal life

Curry is married and has seven children. One from a previous marriage, Eddy III, and four with his wife. Curry's other two children were with former girlfriend Nova Henry. Curry has primary custody of another child.

Alleged sexual harassment

On January 12, 2009, Curry was sued by his former chauffeur, David Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky accused Curry of trying to solicit gay sex from him. According to court papers, Curry repeatedly approached Kuchinsky "in the nude," saying, "Look at me, Dave, look" and, "Come and touch it, Dave." The Manhattan federal court suit also stated that Curry made Kuchinsky perform "humiliating tasks outside the scope of his employment, such as cleaning up and removing dirty towels [into which Curry had ejaculated] so that his wife would not see them." Kuchinsky also said Curry called him racial slurs, including "f***ing Jew," "cracker," "white slave," "white devil" and "grandmaster of the KKK".

Kuchinsky claimed Curry owed him $68,000 in unpaid wages, as well as $25,000 in expenses which Curry never repaid. Those expenses, he said, included cellphones that Curry had him buy as gifts and hotel and club bills. Curry's lawyer, Kelly A. Saindon, called Kuchinsky's claims "preposterous" and "extortion".

Daughter and ex-girlfriend's murder

Curry's ex-girlfriend, Nova Henry, and their nine-month-old daughter Ava were found murdered in Chicago on January 25, 2009. A paternity test proved that Ava was the daughter of Curry and Henry. Their three-year old son Noah was found unharmed at the scene. Two counts of first degree murder were brought against 36-year-old attorney Frederick Goings on February 22, 2009; Goings had served as Henry's attorney in a custody case about Ava against Curry.

Foreclosure

As of June 2009, Curry's Chicago home was in foreclosure; he owed close to $220,000 in mortgage payments. Curry took out a nearly $4 million mortgage on the property in 2006, which included monthly house payments of more than $25,000.

Awards and accomplishments

High school

• USA Today First Team All-American
• PARADE High School Player of the Year
• Earned Illinois Mr. Basketball honors
• MVP of the McDonald's All-American game after scoring 28 points with 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots in leading the West to a 131–125 victory
• Led Thornwood High School to the Illinois State Championship game, averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 6.0 blocked shots, shooting .640 from the floor, including 25.0 points and 10.0 rebounds in the state tournament. Averaged 24.6 points and 11.2 rebounds, along with 4.8 blocks, as a junior.
• Was selected to the State Farm Holiday Classic all-tournament team in 1998, 1999 and 2000.

NBA

• Led league in field goal percentage, 2002–03

NBA career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field-goal percentage	3P%	3-point field-goal percentage	FT%	Free-throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2001–02	Chicago	72	31	16.0	.501	.000	.656	3.8	.3	.2	.7	6.7
2002–03	Chicago	81	48	19.4	.585	.000	.624	4.4	.5	.2	.8	10.5
2003–04	Chicago	73	63	29.5	.496	1.000	.671	6.2	.9	.3	1.1	14.7
2004–05	Chicago	63	60	28.7	.538	.000	.720	5.4	.6	.3	.9	16.1
2005–06	New York	72	69	25.9	.563	.000	.632	6.0	.3	.4	.8	13.6
2006–07	New York	81	81	35.2	.576	1.000	.615	7.0	.8	.4	.5	19.5
2007–08	New York	59	58	25.9	.546	.000	.623	4.7	.5	.2	.5	13.2
2008–09	New York	3	0	4.0	1.000	.000	.333	1.3	.0	.0	.0	1.7
2009–10	New York	7	0	8.9	.381	.000	.588	1.9	.0	.0	.1	3.7
Career		511	410	25.4	.545	1.000	.642	5.3	.6	.3	.8	13.3

External links

• Profile on NBA.com
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