MĀNOA — Steph Curry made good on his promise and then some.
In 2024, the worldwide star guard made his Stan Sheriff Center debut in an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers and said he was looking forward to making a 3-pointer for the local fans. Curry, the NBA's all-time 3-point leader, wasn't able to do so, going 0-for-4 from beyond the arc. It's a performance he vowed to make up for earlier in the week.
Prior to Sunday's exhibition game between Curry's Golden State Warriors and the Clippers, thousands of fans entered through the Stan Sheriff Center turnstiles to get a glimpse of him warming up. Curry drew oohs and aahs when he tossed a ball in the air as high as he could near the free throw line, which went through the basket after bouncing on the ground once.
By the time the game tipped off at 1 p.m., the crowd attendance had reached its capacity of 10,300 fans. In what was the 2026-2027 preseason opener for both teams, Curry played just 13 minutes, but delivered 10 points in 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point land. The Clippers were the designated home team in Sunday's matchup, but there were more Warriors fans in the arena, most of them clad in Curry's No. 30 jersey.
"That's what Steph Curry does," Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said after the game. "Wherever we are, we see those jerseys."
Both squads went with the same strategy of playing key starters and role players in the first half only. The second half was reserved for either benchwarmers or players trying to make the final roster, which must be cut down to 15 for all NBA teams by Oct. 19.
On Sunday afternoon, the Clippers edged the Warriors 104-101, a 35-foot Graham Ike desperation heave off the mark for Golden State at the buzzer. The Clippers took the lead for good on Keaton Wagler's midrange jumper with 14 seconds left. Wagler, the fifth overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, scored 15 points, though in an inefficient manner. He was 3-for-15 on field goal attempts, including 1-for-11 from 3. Eight of his points were tallied via free throw.
Japan native Rui Hachimura finished with a game-high 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting, his first action in a Clipper uniform. Hachimura, entering his ninth NBA season, was most recently with the Los Angeles Lakers for the past four seasons.
"I think offensively, we were pretty good, making the right plays," Hachimura said. "Defensively, we were really good. ... It was a pretty good overall."
Golden State Warriors star guard Steph Curry gets in one final stretch before an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Stan Sheriff Center on Oct. 4, 2026. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Los Angeles Clippers rookie guard Keaton Wagler drills the go-ahead jumper against the Golden State Warriors with 14 seconds remaining on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Golden State Warriors mainstay Draymond Green prior to Sunday's exhibition game against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Stan Sheriff Center on Sunday, Oct. 4. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Japan native Rui Hachimura scored a game-high 21 points for the Los Angeles Clippers in 104-101 exhibition win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Oct. 4. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry hits a floater against the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff) 
The Los Angeles Clippers react to a basket in the fourth quarter of a 104-101 exhibition victory over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, Oct. 4. Photo by Christian Shimabuku (Aloha State Daily Staff)
After holding training camp on the Islands, both teams will head back to California in preparation for the NBA regular season, which tips off on Oct. 20. Golden State has five more preseason games before then, while the Clippers have just two.
With Sunday's result not counting towards the NBA regular season standings, Curry and the Warriors do not plan to spend any time dwelling on the loss.
“We had a very impressive luau at our hotel that included some fire. I don’t know the term, but the fire spinning and the tribute dances, tribal dances, and all that type of stuff, and just having everybody’s family there. That’d be the most memorable," Curry said when asked what he'll remember the most from this trip. "I’ve been in this league going on 18 years. ... We’re not going to get bogged down by the results of the game, but it was just good fun having everybody here and feeling like we got better physically and got some good chemistry amongst our team.”
While the game will not be consequential towards the season for both teams, fans in Hawai‘i were once again able to get a taste of a professional major sport in Island territory.
"The atmosphere is great. Same as two years ago when we came here," Kerr said. "Sold out crowd. Everybody was excited to see [pro] basketball here, and it's fun to be able to to play in front of a crowd like that with that energy and just feel the joy that people will get from watching the two teams."
Christian Shimabuku can be reached at christian@alohastatedaily.com.
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