Was this your idea, the conception of underrated in the Curry Cup?

The underrated brand was for sure.

I was a late bloomer coming out of high school, you know, pursuing college scholarships in basketball.

And I was a three star recruit.

And so the underrated brand is a badge of honor for the late bloomers who work and just looking for the opportunity, running their own race is kind of where that, you know, was birthed.

And then in golf is a passion of mine and understanding that.

The three stars in golf, opportunity, equity, and access for, you know, kids that deserve a platform to be able to achieve their full potential was, you know, kind of born out of that.

Are you confident that Golden State can compete for a championship?

Yes.

And you gotta r- you gotta, y- in your world, you gotta ride those laughs.

You gotta be able to just hold for a second, and there's almost, like, that, um, suspension of disbelief in the, in the, in the, in the, um, you know, elasticity of the time that you're delivering it.

But it's about that hitting those specific points.

'Cause, uh, what I love about Python's writing is it's so absurdist, but it's, it's so...

The writing is really musical.

It's really rhythmical, and it's, and it's part of what makes it so funny.

... you hope you feel what?

I just wanted to ask you, why exactly did that partnership end?

I think it was a great run.

I know when you get into business with Under Armour, I had a great experience over the 12, 13 years I was there.

Developed Curry Brand underneath.

Under Armour was able to take my brand out and search for a new partnership that for me is looking at the longevity and legacy of what I think is possible, not just here, uh, in the U S but globally, uh, across basketball, golf, lifestyle and training and, uh, leanings.

And I've been an unbelievable partner.

It's, um, it's a, it's a long-term, you know, scope of what we're trying to do.

Curious to hear your thoughts on the job Kathy Engelbert did and who you think should replace her.

When did it get comfortable or more comfortable in a space that is very rare for anybody on this planet?

I don't know.

I think, I mean, to your point, I was, I was raised right and I was fortunate enough to have two parents that grew up themselves as adults in front of the spotlight.

And like you said, in Charlotte, my dad played for the Hornets for six, or for 10 years, and in the NBA for 16 years.

There was a lot of perspective around, you know, basketball was, or any sport in general, it was a privilege.

And you know, no matter what success has come my way and the fortunes that I've had, the great teams that I've played on, the, you know, the, the accolades, all that type of stuff, I've never really forgotten that message of how blessed I am to be able to play a child's game for a living.

And, and even at this age, still competing at a high level.

What's next?" What does year 10 look like for Underrated Golf?

That there's a shelf life

... mortality.

Yeah.

So you start, you start thinking about it in terms of interests and opportunities, businesses, whatever, that I could extend, uh, or start now to be, um, ready for whatever the act two was.

But even at that point, you're still consumed as you, as, as, kind of still am, you're still consumed by what you can accomplish on, on the court and, um, you have kind of blinders on.

But these last eight years have been a great balance of still giving everything that I got to the game, still playing at a high level, even now knowing, uh, hopefully two, three more years, whatever it is, that I can still, you know, be an impactful player out there.

But there's a lot that's going on off the court that, uh, brings me joy, has made a lot of impact, and I, I, I pray are sustainable, um, for whatever, you know, the post, you know, retirement life looks like.

That's why we're here.

Imagine being married to

this for 26 years.

But it wasn't always this.

The secret is just don't root anyone else pretty much.

That's what I've gone with.

That's worked out pretty well so far.

Can you say rude on this? You can say rude.

And

What did that moment mean for you?

It was super surreal.

Uh, the Ali family, understanding what Muhammad stood for, what his life was dedicated to, you know, in the ring, off the ring in terms of change.

And, uh, what w- me and my wife Ayesha and what our foundation's been able to do, we're super proud of it.

Um, it's a great, you know, en- encouragement to keep doing the work that we're doing.

We're only seven years in, and-

So what, what is your mission? What are you, what are you doing for the kids there?

We wanna serve, you know, the whole child and the whole school experience, um, and transform the school experience for a generation of kids in Oakland through those three pillars.

You see it that way? Or, I mean, how do you see it?

Just the idea that we're in a r- interesting situation with J- you know, Jimmy being out for half the year or however many games, and Moses as well.

Like re- any reinforcements help, but just the idea you, you have, uh, a hole to fill with those two guys out.

And our job is to go hold it down until they get back, and see, you know, how, how far we can go.

It's, it's, uh, injuries th- th- they suck.

Um, and so it's just a matter of ...

He definitely would be ...

When Steve decided to come back, what was your initial reaction?

you love the bit where they come back, where is it, the daughter Tracy comes back from a honeymoon and she's, was she in Thailand about everyone's presence? Yeah,

where there's kickboxing 24 hours a day.

So good.

They bought mum a genuine Rolex for 15 bucks off a guy at the beach.

He said he'd mail the warranty later.

I got a necklace with a shark tooth.

They got a Walkman for Steve.

How does that work?

It's interesting, isn't it, after, I don't know,

35-odd years of being in the entertainment industry, I've kind of always watched musicals from afar and thought I'd like to do that, but I don't want to do anything too serious.

And so Spamalot came along and every bit in Spamalot that gets supposedly serious is the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen.

So I thought, bang, right up my alley, let's go.

you had to insure your facial muscles?

Yeah, it's basically like Jennifer Lopez with a bum.

My facial expressions are insured for, you never even mind how much, but you know how Elon Musk just became a trillionaire? Yeah, he looks at me and he thinks, if only.

If only.

So your first musical is one that kind of gently pokes fun at the whole Broadway musical thing.

It really does.

It really does.

And look, it's one of those beautiful musicals in the more serious you get.

Oh, hello.

Look out.

Dropping bowls and everything.

So is it appealing just to Python fans or is it to Broadway musical fans? Who do you think is the

Um, but why me? Why did you decide, um, once you invited me, to kinda just take me under your wing? 'Cause something you did not at all need to do.

Whenever people ask me this question, like, I think the answer changes just depending on what moment pops up in my head first.

But I think generally it's just when you're around the game long enough, you understand somebody that has a spirit of gratitude and appreciation for every moment that they get to hoop.

You get the seriousness they take it when it comes to watching you work, and you can't fake that.

Um, and no matter how talented you were or highlights I saw of you in high school or this and that, like, when you, you know, understand your parents and when you got to, you know, talk to them and, and, and hear the story of, you know, how you grew up and how much the game means to you.

How you treated people, uh, when you came into the building, like, the most, uh, not polite, but, like, just professional even as, as a high schooler of understanding why you're here and not wasting anybody's time.

That goes a long way.

Early on, um, how did you navigate walking into a locker room with players already established in the league and trying to find your voice in that space?

Can you talk about that relationship now, how that's evolved given how you met and your life.

Well, from my perspective the biggest thing is we've learned each other as we've gone through.

Um, you know, even when things get a little rocky or, you know, there's obstacles you have to go over, or people feel stressed out or, you know, overwhelmed or whatever the case are, we're, we're always working towards the same goal of being there for each other.

And I think that's been such a, um, a rewarding experience through these 15 year, almost 15 years of marriage.

Thank you for making us feel comfortable.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

[outro music]

So what is the idea behind Underrated Golf?

It, it starts with underrated as a, as a brand, and obviously talking about the documentary and what underrated means to me, and, you know, it's a part of my DNA.

You know, coming up through the basketball ranks, I was a three-star recruit that, um, didn't get, you know, offers from the major schools, which I wanted.

I was...

I didn't pass the eye test physically.

Um, you know, there were a lot of things, and critics or, you know, naysayers that said I couldn't do X, Y, Z at the highest level.

So the Underrated Basketball Tour and Underrated Golf kind of, you know, became an idea out of that, of trying to create platforms and opportunity for kids that were in my shoes or are in my shoes, uh, coming up.

So what were those early years as a player who had huge dreams, son of an NBA star, all the things you wanted out of it, but you weren't getting back from the game? What was that like?

Stefan, who is somebody that Aisha would fangirl over?

So there's a couple I could have picked from, but I'm actually going to say Angelina Jolie.

Okay, Stefan what is I you says guilty pleasure TV show.

So I answered this not currently, but one that's been a part of her life forever.

I said teen mom.

Mm-hmm.

(clears throat) I've been in locker rooms, had gone on a couple, uh, road trips and seen, you know, how the team moves and all that.

I got to see how my dad interacted with, you know, the coaching staff, other players, staff in the, in the locker room, around the arena, around the team, like, all those type of things.

Even fans, at times, when we were at dinner, you know, in Charlotte, growing up, people would come over, like, interrupting dinner.

I got to see how he handled those, those moments.

Obviously, he played in a different era, and it's 100 times what he experienced.

But that shock factor, I think, was kinda neutralized because I'd been around it.

True.

(laughs)

... like walking into, um, the locker room last year or the, um, for the, uh, the Olympic journey, like I was, I...

We had played with each other.

I'd heard about the work ethic and the sheer volume of time and how he takes care of his body, but when you see somebody on that level, couldn't beat him to the gym in the morning, but it was like the idea we, there was just an energy of like, "We all know this, this is stuff that makes you who you are on the court, that's going to prepare you for the moments when the lights are bright." I don't even think we talked about it.

It was-

Mm-hmm.

And then you start to just do that more and more and more and the reps trying to, start to, to build up.

Um, mo- more specifically though, when I got to the league, um, I thought I was preparing myself for the, you know, the NBA journey and the pre-draft workouts and stuff.

And Judy Woodruff speaks with NBA star Steph Curry and Martin Luther King III about their effort to bring communities together through service.

Underneath the surface, we're doing the work that, uh, is hopefully meaningful and sustainable, no matter what voice out of, you know, Washington's coming out.

(instrumental music plays)

The partnership pledges 100,000 volunteer hours here, a city where one in four African-Americans and one in five Latinos live at or below the federal poverty line.

It is very surreal to kind of be here in this moment, planting our flag in Oakland, to have, uh, a moment here at, uh, Martin Luther King Jr.

Elementary School, and just the idea that we're, uh, a part of a, not only a local movement but a national, hopefully global movement of what service and volunteerism really means in, you know, following the legacy of Dr.- Dr.

King.

How did everything change post-deadline? How is it different with Jimmy Butler on board? And what's he bring to it?

If you follow basketball, you know who Jimmy is.

He doesn't need an introduction at all.

He's, you know, elevated, you know, two Miami Heat teams, um, to-- to a finals appearance.

You know what I mean? Though we weren't able to get the job done, you understood who he was as a competitor.

And when the lights are bright, he-- he elevates his game.

And so from the trade deadline to now, it's-- our record has definitely, you know, shown his impact and his presence.

What was working defensively and especially on the perimeter for you guys that you hope to carry over into game two? Because I think getting lost in all this, it's a pretty damn good defensive team, you have.

Mm.

I was playing, like, 37 minutes a game at the two spot.

We had, uh, another point guard, Jason Richards, who, uh, uh, was two years older than me and was, like, our, our best player at the time and was, like, the, the, the steady guy, the steady hand.

I got to learn from him.

That next year, my sophomore year, um, kinda just took off.

We had guys that knew their role.

Everybody, you know, came selfless, did what they supposed to do.

Mm.