Stephen Curry sat down in front of the microphone Monday for his media day appearance and was asked, in quick succession:
What French words did he learn in Paris? (answer: “Nuit nuit.”)
His thoughts on Vice President Harris’ campaign, following his endorsement of her at the DNC.
What he thinks the A’s departure means for the city of Oakland.
Yes, eventually, Curry talked about the upcoming season, roster changes, young players, his contract extension. Basketball stuff.
But Curry is about so much more than basketball. Entering his 16th season, he is a cultural icon, whose words on larger topics have impact, attract foreign television crews, are newsworthy. And, if possible, his influence and platform has become even bigger following his summer at the Olympics, when the whole world got to experience the Curry phenomenon.
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Steph Curry on Kamala Harris, Oakland A’s and upcoming NBA season
Normal queries took a backseat Monday for Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who opined on the Olympics, the A’s and the presidential race.San Francisco Chronicle
“To see him after all these years of not playing the Olympics, and everybody going, ‘Oh, Steph’s never played in the Olympics,’” said Draymond Green, who was in Bercy Arena in Paris for the gold-medal game, “then to watch him go own the moment the way he owned the moment, only he can do that.
“That was as special as anything I’ve ever seen him do.”
The world felt the electricity. All of America got to be on Curry’s team. And though, because the Warriors didn’t make the playoffs, Curry had his longest offseason since 2012, he had plenty of important basketball. The gold-medal memories still bring a smile to his face.
“I took two weeks off, started working out, getting ready for the Olympics,” Curry said. “ I had a six-week run playing in the Olympics, and these last four weeks trying to balance rest and staying sharp, physically and mentally, to get ready for the season. So it tested me in a different way.
“Thankfully I had the Olympics to look forward to, so I didn’t have five months of just sitting at home.”
Ha ha. Curry never just sits at home. He has myriad business ventures and projects. His and his wife Ayesha’s Foundation “Eat. Learn. Play.” is constantly at work to improve school conditions in Oakland, which is why his words on the A’s abandonment of Oakland were poignant.
“It’s a sad situation,” Curry said. “Sports franchises in any city are, to borrow a line from a good friend, a sense of hope and inspiration for a community … a way to galvanize that hope and unity and togetherness.
“What me and Ayesha are trying to do within Oakland, it’s a matter of supporting the community that supported us, making sure we still plant our flag there and have a significant presence there. It’s unfortunate there aren’t any more professional teams representing Oakland, because of how much history there is around sports and that sense of pride of being from Oakland. We just want to make sure we continue our work there, especially in the school district, and create opportunities for future generations to achieve their full potential.”
Curry’s concerned about the future, which is why he’s willing to leverage his influence politically. The French reporter who asked him about Harris apologized by saying, “Everything’s political for French people.” Curry didn’t mind.
“Supporting her is an honor: A sophisticated leader that I have confidence can lead our country and provide hope, inspiration and unity,” Curry said of Harris, who he has known for several years. “Obviously, there’s a lot of tough conversations that need to be addressed in our country. A level of decency and humanity at the top from our leadership is a must and I think she checks that box.
“First and foremost, is she going to run the entire country and be a leader for everybody? I feel like she checks that box. That’s why I have confidence in her.”
Perhaps a bigger political role is in Curry’s future, but not yet. In Paris, Curry emphatically, dramatically, told the world that he’s still a superstar. Still has plenty left. Still is a player others want to play alongside.
“I think what I appreciated most about it was watching the guys that don’t get to play with him, their reactions to being on the same side as him,” Green said. “I thought that was pretty cool.”
His famous teammates were even cool with Steph taking a crazy last shot over a double team, though LeBron James and Kevin Durant were both open.
“They were 100 percent open,” Curry said, disputing that everyone was “fine” with him taking the shot. “I wouldn’t say that because I read body language pretty well … Their hands were up like they didn’t expect me to shoot.”
But the shot went in, clinching the gold. Curry’s “night night” — or “nuit nuit” — celebration became recognized worldwide. James did it on the court with Curry. Steve Kerr did it at the Democratic National Convention. Lionel Messi did it on the soccer field. Golfer Si Woo Kim did it prematurely last weekend at the Presidents Cup.
“I appreciate him doing it, even though I told him he’s got to remind himself about time and score,” Curry said of Kim. “When you pull a ‘night night’ out, you’ve got to win.”
How many “night nights” will we see this season? Who are the Warriors going to be? How many wins will they notch? Did they bolster the roster enough to get everything they can out of their superstar’s 16th season?
Those are all questions to be answered in the future. The topics will be basketball and plenty else for the Warriors’ cultural icon.