While he was on the 2019 Under Armour Basketball Asia Tour in June, Stephen Curry came across a tweet from Oakland resident Rod Cain, who was desperately seeking help from the community to refurbish a basketball court at Concordia Park in East Oakland. The space was in need of some attention in order for students from local schools and programs to have a safe and suitable area to play.
On Tuesday, Under Armour, Chase and Stephen and Ayesha Curry's Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, helped deliver on that wish and debuted a court renovation to members of the community including 45 youth who hit the new court for a clinic led by Stephen and his trainers. Also in attendance was District 6 Councilman Loren Taylor, Parks and Recreation Director Nick Williams, J.P. Morgan Private Bank Executive Director Melinda Hightower and Nimrod Cain, the man who by sending a Tweet, ignited action from Stephen and his partners.
How could the unveiling of the court get any better? How about having some of the nation's top high school basketball stars join the fun?
Members of the 2019 SC30 Select Camp also took part in the celebration and led on-court drills with local youth following the opening ceremony – leaning into their roles as up-and-coming hoops stars to support and inspire local communities. An impromptu dunk contest had the crowd cheering for Stephen and the campers, who put on a show.
Stephen also wanted to surprise Cain with a special gift to acknowledge his efforts to spotlight the state of Concordia Park. He worked with Under Armour to create a one-of-kind Curry 6 colorway that is a re-creation of the court design, which was developed by the Bay Area's own Illuminaries art collective.
The Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation recently announced a partnership with Oakland Parks & Recreation to help underserved youth in the Bay Area, and Under Armour is proud to have played a role in renovating the court in the latest project between the organizations.