Curry Relishes Offseason of Family Time, Giving Back to Oakland
Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation helped to refurbish a playground in the San Antonio district of Oakland on Saturday, June 12. The foundation refurbishes neglected Oakland playgrounds and schoolyards as part of their goals.Kelly Sullivan/Getty Images for Eat. Learn. Play.
By Ann Killion, The San Francisco Chronicle
Stephen and Ayesha Curry leaned down and helped lift a long section of rubber sport court — emblazoned with the words “CHANGE THE GAME FOR GOOD” — and click it into place. The final piece of a new basketball court.
The piece didn’t weigh much, but it still has been a heavy lift. When the Currys announced their Eat. Learn. Play. (ELP) foundation, in the summer of 2019, helping to refurbish neglected Oakland playgrounds and schoolyards was one of their goals.
But then the pandemic happened. Some things got put on hold. Other things, like helping to serve more than 17 million meals to families with food insecurity, were prioritized.
But on a sunny Saturday at Franklin Elementary in the San Antonio district of Oakland, a refurbished playground became a reality.
“It’s been something we’ve been trying to do for well over a year,” Ayesha said.
Through its partnership with the Oakland Unified School District, the foundation identified schools that needed help. Franklin, which has 580 students from pre-K through fifth grade, is one of the most diverse elementary schools in Oakland, with more than 30 languages and dialects spoken.
It also had a terribly rundown playground.
“When I first came here, I wondered, ‘How do kids even attempt to play here?’” said Stephen, who shot a video at the school last fall, announcing the project. “It was that beaten up.”
ELP identifies areas of need and works with partners to find solutions. Their partners on the Franklin playground — including KABOOM!, Farmscapes and CarMax (remember Curry’s hilarious CarMax ad with Sue Bird?) — designed and coordinated the refurbishment. Starting a week ago Saturday, with the help of 250 volunteers, they turned Franklin from forgettable piece of asphalt into a little oasis.
“So many people in our community have broken into tears when they see it,” said principal Lusa Lai. “All the resources and energy put into this. It’s so great for the kids to see this pride in the community.”
The playground is an illustration of what ELP hopes to achieve. There is a community garden, where students can learn about growing fresh, healthy food. The walls of the school are adorned with murals of community leaders and inspirations — the vivid art gives the school what Stephen calls a “wow factor.” And the playground, with a new play structure designed with input from Franklin students, and a new sport court, make for a safer, happier play area.
“It touches on each of our pillars,” Ayesha said. “What we think is so simple can really change and shift things for these kids. And seeing all these volunteers out here is really impactful. It never gets old, seeing the community come together.”
The Currys, who joined volunteers in helping put final touches on the playground, were accompanied by their daughters, Riley and Ryan. Son Canon, not quite 3, is a little too adventurous and energetic for the outing. “He’d be in that concrete, licking the concrete,” Ayesha said, pointing to where a play structure post was being cemented into place. But Riley and Ryan — almost 9 and 6, respectively — happily helped paint a mural and raced their parents across the play structures.
“To start immersing them in this and understanding the sense of community and the importance of paying it forward, is really important for us as parents,” Ayesha said.
The family, due to the pandemic and the changed fortunes of the Warriors, has had consecutive summers of bonding. That’s a stark contrast from the five whirlwind years when Stephen was playing from October through June, making the NBA Finals each time, and twice welcoming a baby in the short offseasons.
“We know we’re blessed with what we get to do for a living,” Stephen said. “With the pandemic, and with basketball not extending as long, our experience in terms of balance has been awesome.
“But I know for me, there’s only a certain amount of time that the ball’s going to bounce.”
And Curry, as evidenced by his play last season, is ready to keep that ball bouncing. He was honored to finish third in the MVP voting, behind Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid, saying, “anytime you finish in the top three, or the top five, you know you’ve had a good year.”
Unlike some players who refuse to watch the playoffs if their team has been eliminated, Curry has been enjoying the postseason.
“I’m not the type to turn them off because I’m not playing,” he said. “That first Memphis-Utah game was hard, because I imagined in my head, mentally and physically, that we should be playing right now. Once we got that over, I was good. I love watching and playing. The whole deal.”
Plus, his brother, Seth, is still playing.
“I’m a pseudo-Sixer fan now,” Stephen said, predicting a Philadelphia-Utah Finals, with Philadelphia winning and Seth Curry named Finals MVP.
“We’re going storybook,” Stephen said with a laugh.
Even without the postseason, there may be more basketball in Stephen’s immediate future. The Olympic team will be named at the conclusion of the NBA Finals and USA Basketball, as well as his sponsors, would love to see Curry on the team.
A gold medal is one thing missing from his resume, but he said he has yet to make up his mind. He continues to look at the logistics of playing in Tokyo. He is curious to learn which other players are planning to go and to see how strong the team will be.
“I’m literally 50-50,” he said of his decision. “I probably need to decide in the next two weeks.”
Olympic basketball and bringing the Warriors back to the playoffs are issues for the future.
On a sunny Saturday, Stephen Curry shot hoops on an Oakland schoolyard with a bunch of kids. And showed how to change the game for good.
Ann Killion is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. Email: akillion@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @annkillion
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