MVP Champion. All-Star. Olympic Gold Medalist. These are just a few of the accolades that NBA star Stephen Curry has stacked up during his career on the court. And now, you can add EBONY Power 100 Leader In Sports to the list.
Whether he’s on your Mount Rushmore of the NBA’s greatest or not, you can’t deny Curry’s impact on the game. What was once a league dominated by post-play has evolved into high-scoring shootouts driven by the three-point shot.
For most athletes, being one of the faces of the game, securing sneaker deals and cashing in on endorsement checks would be enough. However, Curry is busy securing change. And he’s doing it in a way that transcends basketball and reshaping what it means to be a modern athlete. Let’s keep it real, though: he’s also no stranger to lucrative endorsement deals. Subway, anybody?
Letting His Game Off the Court Speak For Itself
In 2019, with his wife, Ayesha Curry, he co-founded Eat. Learn. Play., a foundation that addresses childhood hunger, increases literacy and promotes healthy living—all of which have long-term, far-reaching effects. The Eat. Learn. Play. literacy initiative aims to raise $25 million over the next five years to help bridge the reading gap for kids in Oakland, California, who are two or more grade levels behind.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry. Image: Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation
This isn’t about “helping a few kids and calling it a day.” This is about impacting over 10,000 students and creating a ripple effect to ensure they have the tools to succeed in both the classroom and life.
The Next Generation of Athlete Activism
Let’s face facts: the world is constantly changing. There was a time when we didn’t put too much emphasis on an athlete’s politics or social activism. We used to be satisfied with just getting a hold of their rookie card and, if we were lucky, a knock-off version of their jersey for Christmas. But today’s athletes are not just posters hanging up on our childhood bedroom walls.
Much can be said about today’s athletes and their social awareness. There are a lot of reasons many would choose not to engage. All it takes is one misconstrued sound byte, and things could go sideways. No one wants to fumble the bag, especially with multi-million dollar contracts on the line.
But, for those like LeBron James, Naomi Osaka, Colin Kaepernick and others, the days of just “shutting up and dribbling” are long gone. Today’s athletes have picked up the torch—despite being ridiculed, blacklisted and even threatened—and are using their platforms to fight for equality, justice and real societal change just like those before them.
Front Row: (l-r) Bill Russell, Cassius Clay, Jim Brown and Lew Alcindor. Image: Getty Images.
And Curry’s at the forefront of this next generation. His philanthropic work isn’t just a passion project—it’s a natural extension of his influence as one of the world’s most famous athletes.
What Curry understands—and what makes his impact so much more powerful—is that his success on the court amplifies his ability to make a difference. Like a silky-smooth give-and-go, a record-breaking shooter can reach millions with a single tweet, a viral video or a charity campaign. Just as we’ve seen him do on the court, Curry’s not afraid to run around that screen, catch the pass, square up, and let it fly for the causes he believes in.
Because here’s the real shot Curry’s taking: he’s proving that true greatness isn’t just about dominating the game—it’s about making the world a better place for everyone. That’s the kind of legacy no one can ever deny.
