NBA superstar Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha, did their part to help spread Christmas cheer this year in the Oakland area on the Saturday before Christmas.
>> Subscribe to Sports Spectrum Magazine for more stories where sports and faith connect <<
The Golden State Warriors’ star point guard and two-time NBA MVP disguised himself as the Grinch and his wife as Cindy Lou Who, two characters from Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s story, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas!”
A startup company Curry helped found, SC30 Inc., tweeted a picture of the festive event:
The Grinch didn’t steal Christmas this year! @stephencurry30 and @ayeshacurry dressed up as some holiday favorites and surprised 500+ Oakland families with gifts inspired by @eatlearnplay. Food, games, books and more were handed out to over 2,000 people who joined the Currys! pic.twitter.com/MGbawCBKxq
— Thirty Ink (@ThirtyInk) December 22, 2019
As Dr. Seuss’s story goes, the grumpy Grinch steals presents from a nearby town on Christmas Eve. However, in the Currys’ version of the story, the Grinch came with gifts for more than 500 Bay Area families. Food, games and books were just some of the items delivered, and there was even some dancing:
Steph Curry dressed up as the grinch dancing at his Christmas With the Curry’s event in Oakland 😂🙌🏽
[via @KGStoney] pic.twitter.com/ztBf4P4drF
— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) December 22, 2019
The appearance was all for the Currys’ Eat.Learn.Play Foundation, which according to its website “is committed to unlocking the amazing potential of every child by fighting to end childhood hunger and ensuring children have access to nutritious food, establishing that students have access to a quality education, and the resources to succeed, and providing opportunities and safe places for all children to play and be active.”
500+ families. 2,000+ people. 2 very interesting characters. #ChristmasWithTheCurrys didn’t disappoint! Dressed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who, @stephencurry30 & @ayeshacurry welcomed hundreds of Oakland families and provided gifts inspired by Eat, Learn and Play.#eatlearnplay pic.twitter.com/lgAZtezhAV
— Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation (@eatlearnplay) December 22, 2019
Steph and Ayesha Curry hold an annual “Christmas with the Currys” event, and 2019 was its seventh consecutive year. According to the East Bay Times, the couple spent three hours in prostheses and makeup before finally revealing their true identities.
Steph and Ayesha have been active in their philanthropic efforts for years, and they say it is a commitment to their faith in Christ that propels their generosity.
Curry has launched a production company called Unanimous Media that has produced several faith-based films. He has also worked tirelessly to help people who have experienced devastating hurricanes and given often to charities through his love of golf.
“It’s very humbling to know I’m able to be on the stage that I am,” Curry told Sports Spectrum back in 2013, “and I think God has put me in this situation to change this perspective on what it is to be a man of God and a player in the NBA. I want to use the gifts God gave me on the basketball court to uplift His name. That’s at the forefront of why I play the game.
“Being a father (of three) and a husband, I’m hopefully able to speak to a lot more people who are going through the same thing. It’s nice to talk to them. It’s pretty powerful how many people God has put in my family’s path [since] we have been out here on the West Coast. It’s amazing, that if you’re open to it, ask God to keep your eyes open, and He’ll put you in situations to witness and make people stronger.”
When Curry shared his Christian testimony at Liberty University in 2017, he said: “The Lord has blessed me with these talents to do something special. But it’s not about me. Winning games, losing games, missing shots, making shots, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about giving glory to God.”
Curry’s 2019-20 season has started off on a very different note than in years past. The Warriors are 8-24 and missing many of the faces that helped them to five straight NBA Finals appearances (2015-2019) and championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Superstar Kevin Durant is injured and now with the Brooklyn Nets, while Klay Thompson is dealing with a torn ACL of his own.
Meanwhile, Curry has been out of action since breaking his left hand on Oct. 30 and was expected to miss three months. But Curry’s injury didn’t ruin Christmas for his family, and on Saturday he and his wife helped to ensure that others would have a merry Christmas as well.
RELATED STORIES:
– Steph Curry talks faith, relationship with Christ in episode of ‘Stephen vs. The Game’
– Steph Curry offers large donation to bring golf programs back to Howard University
– ‘Emanuel,’ from Stephen Curry, centers on truth, power, forgiveness found in Jesus
– FROM THE ARCHIVES: Stephen Curry – The Year That Changed Him