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Winning the NBA title is a moment every young hooper has dreamed of. It is a culmination of nine months of rigorous training and hard work. So it’s only natural that many athletes celebrate this achievement by indulging in conventionally unhealthy habits like drinking. However, along with drinking champagne, there’s a growing trend of smoking cigars. Several iconic NBA players have been photographed in the practice after winning the title, and Stephen Curry isn’t left out.

Many people didn’t expect Stephen Curry to smoke cigars, considering his spotless reputation as a family man. However, during a recent interview, Curry revealed the first time he smoked a cigar during a friend’s wedding in 2010. He also revealed that he “grew up around cigars,” as his father regularly smoked at cookouts. Steph’s father, Dell Curry, was an NBA player who is largely remembered for his time with the Charlotte Hornets.

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Now, what started as an experiment has transformed into a full-fledged hobby for Stephen Curry. Cigars have become one of Steph’s passions. Nevertheless, Curry refrained from smoking cigars during the NBA season until he crossed paths with NFL legend Cam Newton. In an interview with Cigar Aficionado, Curry said, “Anytime I saw him he had a cigar. He (Cam Newton) was sort of a mythical creature to me,” says Curry. “I didn’t have one in season till I hung out with him. It honestly destigmatized it for me.”

Several athletes refrain from any form of smoking, considering it could greatly affect their peak physical capabilities. Furthermore, it can cause a whole host of medical ailments, including cancer. However, athletes do smoke, cigars in particular, while celebrating a massive feat, like winning the title. And the trend of this can in part or more be attributed to the legend, Michael Jordan.

Michael Jordan and his love for cigars

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Michael Jordan is his storied NBA career, during which he won six NBA titles. However, beyond basketball, everyone tends to associate MJ with cigars. Mainstream media widely covered his love for cigars. But how did he get into the habit of smoking cigars?

During an interview with Cigar Aficionado, MJ revealed that he smoked his first cigar after winning the 1991 NBA title. He said, “I smoked my first cigar in 1991 when we won the championship. Up to that point, I had never smoked a cigar, never smoked anything. We won the championship, and Jerry Reinsdorf gave me one of his cigars. He’s a big cigar smoker.” Since that iconic night, several players have followed in Jordan’s footsteps, as smoking cigars has become more of a tradition after winning the NBA championship.

Several current NBA stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry were pictured celebrating their respective title wins by smoking cigars. However, Steph has a word of advice for any future title winner who also tends to follow suit. He said, “I want a cigar with me as soon as the horn goes off, but don’t give me a good one. It’s going to get soaked with Champagne… next thing I come out and I got a soaked cigar… So I learned my lesson the hard way.” With stars like Curry and LeBron continuing the trend of smoking cigars, it looks like MJ’s unhealthy obsession is going to be a tradition rather than a passing trend.