Editor’s note: This story was first published in June of 2016.
Story highlights
Internet is in love with Riley Curry, 2, daughter of Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors
Riley has been appearing with her dad at postgame news conferences
Though she may have irritated a few sports reporters who were trying to ask questions, 2-year-old Riley Curry has stolen the hearts of basketball and non-basketball fans alike.
Riley may even be a bigger Internet sensation than her MVP father, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, who is playing in his first NBA Finals.
Riley first made a splash when she appeared with her dad during a postgame interview on May 19. She waved to reporters, hid under the table and told her father to “be quiet.”
She became an overnight hit, and the Warriors continued winning, eliminating the Houston Rockets in five games.
Now matched against the Cleveland Cavaliers and star LeBron James, Curry and his family have remained positive, despite the brightening spotlight. In a special for Time, Stephen’s wife, Ayesha, wrote that “the attention has brought us closer.”
She praised how Stephen handled Riley’s presence during the interviews. He did not ignore his daughter in the moment, affirming Ayesha’s stance on parenting.
“I feel that the biggest thing you can do, as a parent, is to engage,” she wrote. “You can never be too busy for your child.”
That attention has not seemed to distract Stephen Curry, whose team is tied with the Cavs through two games in the Finals series. And it has given many of us an even greater opportunity to fall in love with Riley.
Here are seven top moments of Riley’s short career so far:
A kiss for her father
Riley delivered a good-luck kiss to her father before his first NBA Finals game.
A kiss for her grandfather
Her kisses are not reserved just for Stephen, either. Her grandfather Dell Curry received one during Game 2 of the Finals.
Hold my gum, please
Before she played peek-a-boo with her father, Riley handed her gum to a Warriors employee.
How to celebrate a victory
In celebration of the Warriors’ Game 1 victory over the Cavaliers, Riley took to the dance floor.
All smiles in a shower of confetti
Riley beamed in her father’s arms after his team’s series-clinching win over the Rockets.
Blessed
She used the microphone to showcase her singing ability with a line from Big Sean’s “Blessings.”
Peek-a-boo
The Warriors’ biggest victory in 40 years did not stop Riley from playing a game of peek-a-boo with her father. Her hiding place of choice: behind the curtain.