DAVIDSON, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Plans are being made to name a local intersection after Davidson College’s most prominent alumnus. 

The Interstate 77 interchange with Griffith Street in Davidson would be named after NBA star Stephen Curry, with unanimous approval from the Davidson Town Board as one of the few remaining steps. Curry, who wears No. 30 for the Golden State Warriors and did so as he became Davidson men’s basketball’s all-time leading scorer, would have his name on Exit 30. 

The push is spearheaded by former Davidson College president Tom Ross. He told the town board Tuesday that he has fulfilled the requirements set forth by the N.C. Department of Transportation.  

Those include support from Curry’s family – Ross said wife Ayesha and parents Della and Sonya are on board – and from the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office. Curry also has been made aware of the efforts. 

“The process is more complicated and bureaucratic than I had imagined,” Ross said. 

Ross said NCDOT’s Board of Transportation suggested naming the interchange instead of the bridge. I-77 through northern Mecklenburg County is named after former Duke Energy CEO Bill Lee. 

“The bridge here is not one where you would easily see signage,” Ross said, conveying NCDOT’s message. 

Curry played for the Wildcats from 2006 to 2009 then graduated from Davidson until May 2022. Last summer, he was honored not only for fulfilling that achievement but had his number retired in Belk Arena and was inducted into the school’s athletics hall of fame.

Ross described that Curry is special to Davidson for who he is off the court, too. 

“He had a significant impact on a lot of people,” he said. “He volunteered in the community. He was, what I like to say, a typical Davidson student. He is incredibly generous to all kinds of different people.” 

This is not the first time a naming proposal has come for the Exit 30 bridge. News reports show that NCDOT actually approved a request from the town in 2019 to put fallen officer Mark Swaney on it. But the town decided to honor Swaney elsewhere. 

NCDOT requires unanimous support from a municipality’s governing board. It will be up for vote at the Oct. 24 meeting. With Mayor Rusty Knox absent Tuesday, Mayor Pro Tem Jane Campbell suggested it be placed on the consent agenda.