Stephen Curry wearing shoes created with Bruce Lee Foundation to support Asian community
In the wake of the tragic Atlanta spa shootings that killed eight people, including six Asian women, Stephen Curry is showing his support for the victims and the Asian community in a way that's uniquely him.
The Golden State Warriors star told Nick DePaula of The Undefeated that when he takes the court against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, he'll be wearing a special pair of shoes he created with the Bruce Lee Foundation. The shoes are hand painted with a Lee quote and an image of Lee with his family, and will be auctioned off to benefit the families of the eight victims.
Curry’s shoes feature a @BruceLee quote: “Under the heavens, there is but one family.”
“We are all different & unique. On purpose. But, we are all human beings on a quest to fulfill our purpose and that energy should be used to uplift & love each other to the fullest,” he said. https://t.co/GcQK4mLKKi pic.twitter.com/SLCRrTJgGB— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) April 4, 2021
The shoes have an uplifting message of hope and love, but it's Curry's anger at the shooting — and the increased amount of hate crimes the Asian community has been dealing with — that spurred him to action.
“Disgust, horror and outright anger at why any violence keeps happening in our country,” he told The Undefeated. “After all we have been through this past year, let alone in the history of our country, people still deal with unnecessary tragedy and are afraid for their lives. We have to do better.”
Curry's connection with Lee
Curry's lifelong admiration of Lee led him to connect with the Bruce Lee foundation. Lee was more than just a movie star and a martial arts idol, he was also a champion for equal rights.
“He lived what he spoke and meant every word,” Curry told The Undefeated. “He pushed himself to be greater than he knew he could and to impact people along the way.”
Curry had already featured Lee in a commercial for his Curry Brand with Under Armour, but what happened in Atlanta caused him to go further. After the shooting, he immediately contacted the Bruce Lee Foundation. He wanted to do something meaningful when the Warriors went to Atlanta to play the Hawks this month, and he wanted the Bruce Lee Foundation to be part of it.
“I think Stephen’s gesture is a beautiful example of allyship and solidarity in action,” said Bruce Lee's daughter Shannon Lee, CEO of the Bruce Lee Family Companies and chairperson of the board of directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation. “I am honored he would choose my father and my family as the symbol for the idea that we are all one family, as my father said, and therefore must all stand for one another.”
The shoes took 12 hours to paint by hand, and were done by Kreative Custom Kicks. The quote Curry chose, "Under the heavens, there is but one family," is one of his favorite Lee quotes. Curry believes it fits this moment perfectly.
“It’s plain and simple,” Curry told The Undefeated. “We are all different and unique. On purpose. But, we are all human beings on a quest to fulfill our purpose and that energy should be used to uplift and love each other to the fullest. Anything else is a waste of our existence.”
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