Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha, are collaborating with Davidson College to launch the Curry Family Women’s Athletics Initiative, a scholarship endowment focused on elevating women’s athletics at the two-time NBA MVP’s alma mater.
Curry has always been a big supporter of women’s athletics. So this move comes as no surprise. The Currys are contributing an undisclosed amount to start a scholarship fund with hopes of encouraging other donors. The goal is to have an immediate impact on Davidson’s more than 200 female athletes. In an Instagram video announcing the initiative, partially captioned, “This one hits home…,” Curry noted the role women have played in his life, including his two daughters, Riley, 9, and Ryan, 6. “The reason I am who I am today is also because of strong, powerful women who have poured into my life all these years,” Curry said. “Now, as the father of two girls, I want them to grow up without any boundaries on their futures.”
“The Currys’ gift and vision provide an unprecedented push forward for Davidson Athletics and our exceptional scholar-athletes,” Davidson athletic director, Chris Clunie, said in a statement. “Beyond Davidson, the Currys are sending an important message about addressing the broad inequity in women’s athletics and the importance of unlocking opportunities today and into the future.”
Curry has made his stance on the discrepancies between men’s and women’s collegiate sports known over the years. He has called out the NCAA for the disparity between the basketball amenities at the NCAA tournament bubbles. He also wrote a Players’ Tribune piece in 2018 about how the fight for women’s equality had “grown a little more personal” for him as he raised his girls.
