Steph's second SI Sportsperson of Year emphasizes off-court impact originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
SAN FRANCISCO – Stephen Curry doesn’t have many nightmare games, but one he had precisely 53 weeks ago is particularly notable not because of what he did on court but his response the following day.
After a 4-for-21 shooting night -- worst of his career -- as the Warriors took a 104-96 loss to the Suns in Phoenix last Nov. 30, Curry woke up the next day, crossed the bridge into Oakland, took the wheel of a bus adorned with holiday decorations and pulled into an industrial park.
Curry hopped out of the bus wearing a Santa cap and a smile, surprising hundreds of workers and volunteers at the Alameda County Community Food Bank. He spent a few minutes addressing the group, posing for photos and signing autographs.
He also brought a gift: A $2.5 million donation to the food bank through the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation launched with his wife, Ayesha, in 2019.
Roughly 15 hours after the worst game of his 12-year NBA career, Curry was playing benevolent Santa Claus, stunning everyone in the sprawling parking lot.
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That gesture, at that time, under those circumstances, says more about the four-time NBA champion and two-time NBA MVP than anything he might do on a basketball court.
It’s the kind of philanthropy and broad-minded perspective that makes Curry so human, and an example of why Sports Illustrated on Tuesday named him in the 2022 Sportsperson of the Year.
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This is the second time Curry has won the award -- he shared it with his teammates on the 2017-18 Warriors – and he joins Tom Brady, LeBron James and Tiger Woods as multiple winners.
The SI Sportsperson of the Year award, instituted upon the magazine’s inception in 1954, is one of the most cherished in sports. Other previous winners include Muhammad Ali, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Bill Russell and Serena Williams.
For Curry, this is recognition of the many causes to which he donates money, time and caring. He personally revived the dormant men’s and women’s golf programs at Howard University, a historically Black college, in 2019 with a six-year funding commitment. Consider that a potent head start.
Curry also is behind the Underrated golf tour, which is devoted to providing access and inclusion to boys and girls from communities that have been marginalized and otherwise underrepresented in the sport. There also as an “Underrated” devoted to boys and girls that play basketball.
Eat. Learn. Play. is strictly a local endeavor, focused largely on Oakland, where Curry began his career and where he and Ayesha first made a home.
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ELP “is committed to unlocking the amazing potential of every child by fighting to end childhood hunger, ensuring students have access to a quality education, and providing safe places for all children to play and be active.”
Time to clear some space on in a room jammed with trophies, awards and mementos. And do so with the understanding that more will be coming.
