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Golf isn’t just a hobby for Stephen Curry.
The star for the Golden State Warriors started playing when he was 8 or 9 years old. His father, Dell, also played in the NBA, and golf was his summertime hobby. By the age of 11, Stephen was playing full rounds and even played a little high school golf for three years before beginning his journey as one of the best shooters in basketball history.
“It’s one of the things I look forward to most when I’m not on the court,” said the Golden State Warriors star on the latest episode of the No Laying Up podcast.
The two-time MVP of the NBA talked about his love of the game and threw some shade Charles Barkley’s way ahead of their participation in The Match: Champions for Change. But what really stood out were his comments about his role in bringing NCAA Division I golf to Howard.
More: Howard moves golf programs forward with hiring of head coach
A year and a half ago, Howard did not have a golf team. One conversation between Otis Ferguson IV and @StephenCurry30 changed that. The story is fantastic and you can hear it from Curry on our latest podcast.
Apple: https://t.co/po4jl5YRO8
Spotify: https://t.co/aB1GEWh6qI pic.twitter.com/CpXRejdmCd— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) November 18, 2020
“I think a lot of people get wrapped up in seeing what the product on TV … but the world of golf and business of golf, there’s so many opportunities and ways to create a meaningful career,” said Curry. “It’s just about that awareness and that access and people being able to lean in. So Howard golf is a great start in that direction.”
So, why Howard? Curry wanted to find a creative way, unique to him, to grow the game of golf. He knows talent resides in minority communities, but he also knows they don’t have the resources or access to capitalize on that talent. Curry’s goal is to provide more access to the game, and he thinks golf at Howard can be a “North Star.”
“Any time that you can support an HBCU, there’s a lot of conversations about how impactful those universities are,” explained Curry. “It all kind of checked a lot of boxes in terms of where I could really meaningfully make an impact. And I think the sky’s the limit for what this can truly mean.”