PARIS — One day after his Olympic basketball debut, Stephen Curry morphed into an Olympic volleyball fan.

He and friend/bodyguard Yusef Wright discreetly slipped into the crowd Monday at South Paris Arena and watched China edge the US in a taut, five-game match. Curry described it as a fun atmosphere, made even better because his presence didn’t cause a commotion — no small feat for one of the most popular and recognizable athletes at these 2024 Summer Games.

“I was pretty much able to go incognito and be a fan,” Curry told the Chronicle on Tuesday.

Curry called himself a “volleyball dad,” part of his deep family history in the sport. His mom Sonya played at Virginia Tech, his sister Sydel played at Elon University in North Carolina and his daughters Riley and Ryan also play.

The wider point: Curry, 36, is savoring his first and likely only experience as an Olympic athlete. That means trying to good teammate Anthony Edwards into challenging table tennis Olympians, perpetually posing for pictures at Friday’s Opening Ceremony and relishing every moment in France.

So when Curry said Sunday he was having “the time of my life,” in response to a question about his demonstrative celebrations during Kevin Durant’s big first half against Serbia, Curry really was talking about more than basketball.

“It’s everything,” he said in a brief interview before practice. “It’s the energy of the opening ceremony and meeting all the other athletes. I probably took 200 pictures, no lie, and I was fine doing it, because it’s the athletes who worked so hard to be here and represent their country. …

“It’s all a part of the first-time experience. You have to prioritize preparing yourself to play, the recovery process and all that, but I had a little window to get around (Monday) and hopefully I’ll have a couple of more opportunities to see other events. I’m going to take full advantage.”

Curry took photos with the women’s volleyball team, the field hockey team, golfers Collin Morikawa and Wyndham Clark and several women’s basketball players (including Sabrina Ionescu, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum) during the Opening Ceremony. He posed for one picture wearing goofy sunglasses in the shape of the five Olympic rings.

He also exchanged Olympic pins with other athletes, affixing them to his official credential, and snapped a selfie as the US boat cruised past the Eiffel Tower in the background.

And he met a fellow Davidson Wildcat.

Evy Leibfarth introduced herself to Curry during their ride down the Seine on Friday. She instantly got his attention by saying she attended Davidson, the small North Carolina school Curry elevated to prominence during the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Leibfarth, 20, took a break from her studies to prepare for the Paris Games. She’s a two-time Olympian in the canoe/kayak events; Leibfarth made her World Cup debut at age 15, competed in the Tokyo Olympics at 17 and now is chasing gold in France, just like Curry.

“She said she went to Davidson,” he said, smiling, “and I was like, ‘What?! ‘”

Curry set the tone for his off-the-court adventures Friday, when he brought three members of the US women’s table tennis team over to meet Edwards on the US boat. Curry good-naturedly instigated things, telling Edwards the women said they would beat him 21-0 in table tennis.

Edwards seemed simultaneously amused and offended, telling Curry and the group, “I’m not having it.” The video, featuring probably the two most personable players on this American men’s basketball team, quickly went viral.

“Steph doesn’t think I can score one point,” Edwards said the next day. “I’m highly disappointed in him, the way he thinks about me, because I could definitely score one point.”

Curry agreed to arrange a friendly match to resolve the matter, Edwards suggested, though it’s unclear if that actually happened. Edwards attended Monday’s Olympic table tennis matches, where another video showed him standing in the crowd, animatedly cheering and shouting, “That’s what I’m talking about!” after Palo Alto’s Lily Zhang won a point.

This level of engagement is standard procedure for Curry, of course. He played golf with teammates Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker during Team USA’s visit to Abu Dhabi, then spent one day as a bucket hat-wearing tourist in London.

Ionescu, the Walnut Creek native who has been friends with Curry for years — they dueled in a 3-point contest at NBA All-Star weekend in February — spent much of the opening ceremony hanging with him on the Seine.

“To see all the success he’s had, you don’t really know how he’s going to show up to these types of things,” Ionescu said. “But he was like a kid in a candy store. He was meeting everyone, asking athletes for pictures, getting to know them. I think that shows his appreciation for how cool it is to be an Olympian.”

Curry returns to the task at hand Wednesday, when the US meets South Sudan in a Group C game in suburban Lille. South Sudan nearly earned an epic upset of the Americans on July 20 in London, before LeBron James’ late layup gave the US a 101-100 exhibition win.

If head coach Steve Kerr’s team prevails Wednesday, he might give his players the day off Thursday before they return to practice Friday. Don’t be surprised to hear of Curry bouncing around Paris, just like many of his teammates.

He doesn’t plan to attend the golf competition, despite his passion for the game, because Le Golf National is a long ride from central Paris. Curry said he’s conscious of not wearing himself out, but he also wants to immerse himself in his one and (probably) only Olympics.

As Kerr puts it, “Steph is loving this.”

Reach Ron Kroichick: [email protected]; Twitter: @ronkroichick