On September 9, 2025, renowned basketball player Stephen Curry released his debut book, “Shot Ready.” Available at Barnes and Noble, Target and Amazon, Curry’s book aims to share his story along with the lessons he’s learned, and inspire others to work towards their goals.
Curry, 37, is warming up for his 17th season in the NBA while playing for the Golden State Warriors. “Shot Ready” is half autobiography, half lessons he learned on his journey to becoming a professional athlete, with over 100 pictures to help tell the tale.
“Being shot ready means, you know, the work ethic, the process, the confidence that you’re ready for whatever comes your way. For me, that’s been the whole thing that’s driven me this entire way. If I fail, I come right back. If I succeed, I learn something from it,” Curry said in an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “Hopefully, the stories and the pictures in there can inspire everybody.”
From the first few pages, the novel certainly is inspiring. “Shot Ready” opens with the reader being asked to envision a quiet gym, walking us through Curry’s off-season training process. The book talks about setbacks Curry faced from the start, like his height and skill, and is comforting to those who have ever felt like they were at a disadvantage from the start.
Throughout the book’s sections, which sequentially tell his journey in thirds titled “Rookie,” “Leader” and “Veteran,” Curry threads a positive string of motivation. One of the book’s biggest tips for setting yourself apart from competitors is appreciating the joy in independently improving.
“With the sacrifices that it takes to be great, you have to find joy in the work you do when no one else is around,” Curry writes, putting a new spin on integrity.
Though Curry’s father, Dell, played in the NBA for 16 years, this particular lesson comes from his mother, Sonya, who used to be a teacher.
“I think it’s great. Anytime you can hear a different perspective from a great athlete, it’s great because you can learn from them and what’s made them successful,” Alexander McCleary, the Lincoln East girls basketball coach said.
The rest of the public seems to agree. Just a week after releasing, ‘Shot Ready’ ranks among Amazon’s top 10 current bestsellers.
All in all, Curry’s lessons are applicable to all of us, despite the fact that most of us aren’t professional athletes. From wandering NBA stadiums at seven years old to managing high-level stress, Curry weaves a captivating narrative of success in his story, which tells us that despite all odds–even if you’re the smallest player on the court–everyone can succeed.
