Curry earned the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his work through the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation he co-founded in 2019 with his wife, Ayesha. Stephen Curry accepted the honor Tuesday night at the 12th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards in New York.
The event recognizes sports figures “who use the power of sport to make a positive impact on society,” according to a news release. It precedes Wednesday night’s ESPY Awards, which also will be held in New York.
The Currys’ foundation has done extensive community work in Oakland, mostly focused on youth development. Eat. Learn. Play. has provided more than 25 million meals to Oakland children and families, spearheaded literacy efforts in local schools and refurbished numerous playgrounds, cafeterias, gyms and libraries.
Stephen Curry accepted the award from Lonnie Ali, Muhammad’s widow and the president and CEO of the center bearing his name.
“Oakland gave us so much love, support and energy, and this is how we are able to continue to (give) back to the community that has wrapped its arms around us from the very beginning back in 2009,” Curry said during the ceremony. “We’re just excited to meet kids where they already are every single day, because if you invest in a child you’re investing in everything that’s possible for their future.”
Curry played the first 10 seasons of his NBA career in Oakland, before the Warriors moved across the bay to San Francisco in 2019.
Muhammad and Lonnie Ali established the Muhammad Ali Center in 2005 in his hometown of Louisville, Ky. The center’s mission, according to its website, is to “mobilize Ali’s legacy to foster respect, inspire generations of changemakers and advance social justice.”
Ali, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, died in 2016 at age 74.