Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry wants all men – not just fathers – to start caring about gender equality, although he acknowledges that having two daughters helped him to arrive at that conclusion.
‘I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the idea of women’s equality has become a little more personal for me, lately, and a little more real,’ the two-time NBA MVP wrote in an essay for The Players’ Tribune on Sunday, Women’s Equality Day.
In addition to his son, Cannon, Curry has a pair of daughters, Riley and Ryan, with his wife Ayesha.
Curry celebrates holding his daughters Riley and Ryan after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers 129-120 in Game 5 to win the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 12, 2017 in Oakland
Curry, daughter Riley and wife Ayesha smile during the Golden State Warriors Victory Parade in Oakland in 2015 – the franchise’s first NBA title since 1975
While it took Curry, 30, becoming a father to two girls to make him truly cognizant of the gender bias issues women face, his essay urged all men to think about the problem before parenthood.
In particular, Curry wants to address the nationwide pay gap between men and women.
‘I think it’s important that we all come together to figure out how we can make that possible, as soon as possible,’ he wrote. ‘Not just as “fathers of daughters”; or for those sorts of reasons. And not just on Women’s Equality Day. Every day ― that’s when we need to be working to close the pay gap in this country.
Stephen Curry’s sister Sydel, wife Ayesha, father Dell, and mom Sonya competed on Family Feud against rival point guard Chris Paul and his family back in June
‘Because every day is when the pay gap is affecting women,’ Curry continued. ‘And every day is when the pay gap is sending the wrong message to women about who they are, and how they’re valued, and what they can or cannot become.’
Curry signed a five-year, $201 million extension with the Warriors a year ago that will pay him $37 million over the upcoming NBA season.
While that does make him the NBA’s highest-paid player, he is still well aware that his female counterparts in the WNBA make only a small percentage of what the average NBA player makes in a season.
Curry hopes his daughters Riley and Ryan won’t have to face the same pay gap that previous generations of women have seen
‘I want our girls to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period,’ he wrote. ‘I want them to grow up in a world where their gender does not feel like a rulebook for what they should think, or be, or do. And I want them to grow up believing that they can dream big, and strive for careers where they’ll be treated fairly. And of course: paid equally.’
Above all, the three-time NBA champion emphasized listening and not telling women what one thinks they want to hear.
‘One lesson from that education that’s really stood out to me is: to always stay listening to women, to always stay believing in women, and ― when it comes to anyone’s expectations for women ― to always stay challenging the idea of what’s right,’ Curry wrote.
Curry, who also wrote about his mother Sonya, is from a famously athletic family.
Curry’s father Dell began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz in 1986, but is best known as the sharp-shooting guard playing alongside Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Muggsy Bogues in Charlotte for much of the 1990s. In addition to winning the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year in 1994, Curry led the NBA in three-point percentage at 47.6 percent in 1998-99 and finished with a remarkable 40.2 percent career clip from deep.
Curry’s brother, Seth, currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers while his sister Sydel plays volleyball at Elon University in North Carolina.
Curry, who also wrote about his mother Sonya (near left), is from a famously athletic family. Curry’s father Dell (center in gray) began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz in 1986, but is best known as the sharp-shooting guard playing alongside Larry Johnson, Alonzo Mourning, and Muggsy Bogues in Charlotte for much of the 1990s. Curry’s brother, Seth (left), currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers while his sister Sydel plays volleyball at Elon University