While 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 viral 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 beat the Cavs Thursday night in Game 1 of the finals. And it’s given many of us an even greater opportunity to fall in love with Riley.
Here are six top moments of Riley’s short career so far:
Good luck kiss
Riley delivered a good luck kiss to her father before his first-ever NBA Finals game.
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’ 108-100 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.