The intense pressure of being the matriarch of basketball’s most famous family cannot stop Sonya Curry from pulling back the curtain on a lifetime of internal struggle. Specifically, in a significant and emotional revelation shared during a January 2025 appearance on The Travis Hearn Podcast, the mother of NBA icons Stephen and Seth Curry opened up about her long-standing battle with depression and severe anxiety. This rare look into the mental health of a woman often seen as the “gold standard” of sports motherhood highlights a powerful narrative of survival, proving that the drive which built the Curry legacy was often fueled by a silent, high-stakes anxiety that went unacknowledged for generations.

A Generation of Silence: The Origin of Anxiety

For years, Sonya Curry has been a staple of NBA broadcasts, known for her poise and competitive fire. However, long before the spotlight followed her sons into global arenas, she was navigating a personal landscape defined by high expectations and unresolved tension. In her candid discussion, Sonya noted that her struggles began in an era when mental health was a taboo subject.

“I’ve dealt with depression; I’ve dealt with severe anxiety,” Sonya explained. “But I come from a generation [where] we don’t acknowledge that.”

She described her anxiety not just as a burden, but as a misunderstood fuel. Much like the elite athletes she raised, Sonya used her internal unrest as a catalyst for performance. She believed that by striving harder, winning more, and projecting an image of stability, she could eventually outrun the shadows of her own mind.

The Athlete’s Paradox: Moving from Performance to Survival

Sonya drew a poignant parallel between her mental health journey and the life cycle of a professional athlete. She noted that many people—herself included—use anxiety to drive themselves toward a specific goal. However, once the “game” of youth or the peak of competition ends, that same drive can become destructive if not reframed.

Performance vs. Life: She noted that while athletes work out to perform at a high level, as they age, they must learn to work out simply to “live right.”

Mental Lifestyle: Sonya emphasized the need to change one’s entire lifestyle mentality. “Because we’ve only had one view of that… now with all of this, it’s like that really wasn’t working for me,” she confessed.

This shift from “working out to win” to “working out to heal” became the cornerstone of her recovery process as she entered 2026.

The Cost of Public Perfection

As the Curry name became synonymous with excellence, the pressure on Sonya only intensified. In her memoir, she revealed the emotional toll of living under a microscope where external praise often replaced inner clarity. The more the world celebrated her as the “perfect NBA mom,” the harder it became to hide the personal struggles she was enduring behind the scenes.

The fear of criticism was a constant companion. Sonya admitted that for a long time, she was hesitant to share her full truth, fearing how it would impact the public profile of her family. However, the process of writing her memoir transformed from a simple project into what she calls a “testimony.”

The Sonya Curry Mental Health Timeline

Era
Experience
Outcome

Early Life
High expectations & unnamed anxiety.
Ambition fueled by a need for stability.

Motherhood
Rising fame & loss of privacy.
Internal struggles hidden behind a “perfect” image.

Jan 2025
Public confession of depression.
Shifted the conversation to generational healing.

Jan 2026
The “Testimony” Phase.
Using her memoir to help others find peace.

Conclusion: A Legacy Beyond the Court

Sonya Curry’s journey is a reminder that success does not immunize one against the complexities of the human mind. By choosing to frame her life through the lens of honesty rather than fame, she has provided a significant service to millions of families who face similar generational silences regarding mental health.

As 2026 continues, Sonya no longer sees her story as something she must protect or hide. She views her experiences as a shared gift for those who encounter her book, hoping that her vulnerability will unlock doors of stability for others that she once struggled to open for herself. In the world of the NBA, the Currys are known for their range, but Sonya Curry has proven that her greatest range is her ability to be profoundly, authentically human.