Basketball has always been about circles and symmetry, Dub Nation. The Warriors close out 2025 in Charlotte, where the Curry family story began its NBA chapter over three decades ago. Where Dell Curry built a legacy that would inspire two sons to chase the same dream. Where Steph spent his childhood watching his father work, learning the game in those same practice facilities he’ll walk through Wednesday morning.
This was supposed to be the family reunion game. Steph and Seth, together in Warriors
blue, returning to the building where their father became a Hornets legend. The basketball gods had scripted it perfectly: New Year’s Eve in Charlotte, both Curry brothers suiting up against their hometown franchise, creating a moment so cinematically perfect you’d accuse Hollywood of being too on the nose. Don’t you just love the holidays??
Darn it, Seth’s dealing with a bad back. Basketball rarely grants us the poetic moments we crave on schedule.
Golden State Warriors at Charlotte Hornets
When: December 31, 2025 | 10:00 AM PT
TV: NBCSBA, NBA TV
Radio: 95.7 The Game
Steph’s homecoming carries its own weight. He’s chasing John Havlicek on the all-time scoring list, closing out a year where he’s been carrying a Warriors team desperately clinging to relevance. Coming back to Charlotte, to the city where he attended Charlotte Christian School and later starred at Davidson College, adds layers of meaning to what could be dismissed as just another road game on the schedule.
The irony isn’t lost on anyone: Steph Curry, the most inspirational basketball player of all time, never got to wear the Hornets jersey his father is beloved for donning. Never got to play for his hometown team. Now he returns as a visiting opponent, carrying a different legacy entirely, built 2,500 miles west of where it all began.
The Hornets will counter with LaMelo Ball’s electric playmaking and possibly Kon Knueppel, the sharpshooting rookie who’s been unconscious from three all season.
There’s something beautifully circular about Steph facing a young sharpshooter in the city where he watched his own father perfect the craft. And now he sees a next generation splasher in Hornets’ standout rookie Kon Knueppel who per NBA.com: “leads all players who are shooting over 40 percent from three (42.8 3PT%) in total made 3-pointers (113 3PM). Knueppel ranks third in the league in total 3-pointers made, trailing only Donovan Mitchell (121 3PM) and Stephen Curry (114 3PM). He is tied with Curry for the most games with at least five 3-pointers this season (11).”
Wow, the three-point revolution continues on with Charlotte’s young gunner. I wonder how Moses Moody and co. will do defending him on the perimeter. I really don’t want to hear “Wow the Warriors just gave up someone else’s new career high!” on New Year’s Eve.
The Warriors need this one. Not just for playoff positioning, though at 17-16 every game matters when you’re fighting to stay relevant in the Western Conference. They need it because closing out 2025 with a win in Charlotte, where the Curry story began, would provide the kind of narrative satisfaction that transcends box scores.
Golden State’s won four of their last five heading into this matchup, finding some rhythm alongside Jimmy Butler’s arrival. Steph’s been vintage, doing the heavy lifting offensively while the roster pieces around him try to figure out how to complement his gravity-warping brilliance. Butler’s given them a legitimate second scoring threat who can attack the rim and get to the line, creating some offensive balance they’ve desperately needed.
But Wednesday morning isn’t about playoff seeding or offensive efficiency or any of the analytical frameworks we use to make sense of basketball’s chaos. It’s about Steph going home and honoring the legacy his father built. Dell will be watching his oldest son add another chapter to a story that started when Steph was just a kid rebounding his father’s shots after practice. The Curry family circle continues, even if one brother watches from the bench in street clothes.
New Year’s Eve tips off at 10 AM PT. Let’s hope the Dubs can get a W to end the year the right way. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
