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Eddy Curry, who played five seasons with the Knicks and won an NBA championship with the LeBron James-led Miami Heat in 2012, has been advocating for the release of 1-year-old Kfir Bibas, the Israeli boy who has spent the bulk of his life in Hamas captivity. Bibas was kidnapped along with his brother Ariel, 4, and their parents, Shiri and Yarden Bibas, by the terror group during the Oct. 7 attack.
Curry, 41, recently traveled to the Holy Land with his wife and met with members of the Bibas family as part of the Sports Speaks Up campaign for Project Max, an organization that fights antisemitism, racism and intolerance through sports.
You’ve gone through some extraordinary circumstances, maybe more than anyone’s been through in the NBA. But on the basketball court, when you entered the league, you were a 7-footer who was like a gymnast. The possibilities seemed extraordinary. You had a soft shooting touch and were light on your feet. Do you ever wonder if things were stable with the Bulls with all of those other circumstances what could have been? Your player profile was one of the most unique in the history of the league. Eddy Curry: It is. And it’s so crazy. I feel like because of things like that, because of the athleticism, because of the potential and just people’s projections of what they thought I should have been, it damages what I did do. It’s funny when you look at the McDonald’s All-American Game. I look at all the stuff leading up to it, but they never mention me. But I was the MVP of the game. When you look at the top players in Chicago, this and that, Hall of Fame, whatever the case may be, they completely just gloss over my high school career like it didn’t even happen. Because they wanted me to be this big thing so bad that it’s like it just erased everything that I did before. It is what it is though. I’m lucky. I’m blessed that I don’t find peace in that. I was never looking for peace in that. It would have been cool. But I don’t think about that.
You haven’t necessarily been out of the limelight, but for a while, you’ve been keeping a low profile. What are you doing now? Eddy Curry: Living in Texas. Right now, my new life is just talking about my journey. Talking about my trials and tribulations. But speaking to NBA players. Speaking to young athletes, who may encounter some of the same things I did, and trying to help them make better decisions. Trying to help them deal with everything that comes with being a superstar or a standout athlete, whatever you want to call it. It’s tough. A lot of pressure comes with that. A lot of pressure from your family and friends. I go and talk to all of the teams … I’m a consultant. I talk with all of the players.
Do you have your own business? Do you do any consulting outside of basketball? Eddy Curry: I should, but as of now, I’m an independent contractor. But I’ve been doing it for the last three years. It gives me freedom because I’ve got six kids. And they range from 22 to 13, so they keep me busy. And I like to have that freedom to be able to be there for different stuff that’s going on; graduations. I’ve got two seniors this year, so I just like to be around.
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Eddy Curry: Stephon Marbury felt betrayed by Isiah Thomas
What was the Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury beef like behind the scenes? Eddy Curry: They were neighbors. Literally, we all lived in the same neighborhood. Me, Stephon, Isiah. They literally were neighbors. Their backyards backed up to each other. They didn’t have fences. If Isiah went into his backyard to his pool, he could be standing right there shaking Steph’s hand if he wanted to. They were that close. Knowing Steph, he felt betrayed in a lot of situations. He felt like he had Isiah’s back in situations, and Isiah didn’t have his back in situations. Once that trust is broken, and somebody feels this isn’t about a team, everybody starts pointing fingers.
Eddy Curry: People don’t know. These younger people only see Jay Williams as the guy on TV. We know Jay Will to be one of the most electric guards I’ve ever seen. Me and Jamal had been friends since I was in high school… Jamal was coming off an ACL injury. Every year they were drafting a guard. Jamal, who we know today, is one of the best guards ever, but this was him back in 2001-2004. I was there when they drafted Kirk Hinrich. I saw the toll it took on him. I saw the hurt and determination when they drafted Jay Will… When they drafted him (Williams), they did their best to make him feel super special. I felt like they didn’t really do that for all of us. My younger self felt that way. They wanted all of us to be at the training facility when he came. Nobody was there when I came or Jamal.
Eddy Curry: The first road trip I went on, Kendall Gill was the first male that I saw who put so much into his hygiene. We’d take a shower, put on some lotion and get out of there. Kendall would take a shower, come out and do his hair, give himself a fresh haircut every time he got out of the shower. He’d put oils on and spray himself with all types of cologne. We went on the road, and the first time we got off the elevator going to our rooms, and there was a trail of rose petals going from the elevator to Kendall’s room. I’m like, “What the heck is going on?” He winked at us and said, “Yeah, young fella. You’ve got to step your game up.”
Eddy Curry: As a player, you realize it’s a business, but you want to feel some sort of stability and trust. When I got there, it was training camp. I went to my room, and there was a fruit basket in my room. It was partially eaten. It had the tag on there, and it was to Mike Sweetney. I get to practice the next day. I’m talking to Jamal Crawford, and he’s super hyped that I’m there. A lot of guys are hyped I’m there, but they’re sad Mike is gone. They told me he cried because they told Mike about the rumors, and they kept telling him, “We’re not going to trade you.” They traded him. It just messed him up and was tough on him.
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Eddy Curry: I'm not upset about my career... but people still harbor anger about my career
Eddy Curry: I’m not ashamed or upset about my career. A lot of times, I get met with anger. I think people wanted my career to go a certain way. It’s like if you’re mad that I didn’t do this or that, how do you think I feel? I’m here now. There’s nothing I can do about it. It’s not like I can go sign with a team and try to correct this or that. It is what it is. I’m trying to build from here on. I think people still harbor this real anger about my career. I find that intriguing.
Eddy Curry on Larry Brown and Stephon Marbury beef: They were neighbors. Literally, we all lived in the same neighborhood. Me, Stephon, Isiah. They literally were neighbors. Their backyards backed up to each other. They didn’t have fences. If Isiah went into his backyard to his pool, he could be standing right there shaking Steph’s hand if he wanted to. They were that close. Knowing Steph, he felt betrayed in a lot of situations. He felt like he had Isiah’s back in situations, and Isiah didn’t have his back in situations. Once that trust is broken, and somebody feels this isn’t about a team, everybody starts pointing fingers. Once the media picks up and starts pointing the finger at Steph, he’s like, it’s not me. You need to be looking at this guy. By that time, these guys have relationships with Frank Isola and Marc Berman, so it’s not hard to get a narrative going if that’s what you wanted to do. I personally didn’t play into any of that type of stuff. I know guys were talking to people and putting stuff out.
Eddy Curry: New York was crazy. The stories in Chicago were funny, but they’re pretty harmless. The stories in New York? That might break up somebody’s home. I can tell they had Philippe Chao and Mr. Chow’s. I’m thinking, it’s the same food and if you’re on this side of town, you go here. If you’re by the Financial District, you go to the other one. One night a teammate of mine was there. He told me, “It’s cool tonight, but from now on, we bring our work to Philippe and your wife to Mr. Chow.” I was at Philippe with my wife. He was like, “It’s cool now, but from now on if you ever find yourself about to come here, you call people and let them know, so they don’t come here with their girlfriends.” That was the craziest thing to me. It’s really like a code or a method to cheating.
Eddy Curry: I remember Oakley made me late for the plane. He’s my guy. After a home game, we’d be leaving and had a certain amount of time to get to the plane, but he had to go get his soul food. He’d always make me take him. I’d take him in his car. He could never get his food and leave. He knew the guy who owned it. He’d hang out like we had nowhere to be. They wouldn’t say anything to Oakley, but they’d say something to me for being late even though they know I’m with Oakley. He’d have me in his Range Rover on the highway. Every time we ran late, he had a switch that had police lights. He’d hit the lights and had me riding on the shoulder and barked out these orders while I was driving. I used to be so scared. I was like, “Oak, I’m going to get arrested.” He’s like, “F*ck that. You heard me. I got you. Don’t worry.” We’d barely make it to the plane.
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