Steph participates in 3-point contest for noble cause in Oakland originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
OAKLAND – Stephen Curry’s decision to skip Saturday’s NBA 3-point Contest, one of the highlights of All-Star Weekend, surely disappointed millions of fans around the world. He chose to engage in a 3-point shootout for a nobler cause.
Which is why the line began forming nearly two hours before Curry arrived Friday at McClymonds High School in the heart of West Oakland, folks of all ages and hues and genders hoping to glimpse the Golden State Warriors superstar. They had no idea they would see a small fortune at the free-throw line.
There was cash on the floor, $100,000 in bills, plainly visible in a clear plexiglass bin roughly the size of a small car. Pool full of warm cash, deep enough to dive in without harm.
There was, of course, a catch. There would be a 3-point contest, with the six-figure jackpot going to the winner. Only two people were eligible for the prize, and one of them was Curry, whose 3,948 3-pointers are three times the total of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame shooting guard Mitch Richmond and more than twice as much as late, great Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
Selected to compete against the all-time 3-point shooting king would be Demarrion Gardner, a senior on the boys’ basketball team at fabled McClymonds.
Rather than put on a nationally televised show for fans at Chase Center, Curry opted to shine a light on one of Oakland’s prep student-athletes before an audience of a few hundred.
Curry’s partners at Under Armour and Curry Brand, along with media personality MrBeast, arranged the dedication of a newly refurbished gymnasium named for distinguished “Mack” alum Bill Russell (Class of 1952) – a three-month project, with the last coats of paint drying over the weekend – as well as their own 3-point shootout. It’s one of scores of events occurring during NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco and Oakland, but apart from the lavish parties and sumptuous brunches arranged around 12 hours of exhibition basketball.
There are no velvet ropes or red carpets at “Mack.” This is Curry’s volunteer work, unaffiliated with the NBA. Just a global icon strolling into a high school gym in a working-class neighborhood of The Town. It’s part of his longstanding alliance with and support of Oakland and its public schools, as well as other parts of the planet.
“This is not only special because it’s the 20th [refurbished] court, a milestone, but also because of what McClymonds represents in this beautiful town of Oakland,” Curry said to those gathered in the cozy gym. “There’s so much history here, so many legends have come here, so many championships have been won here. But it’s more about the people that have come here, that have been nurtured and groomed by the spirit of this place.
“The students, the teachers and faculty and administration have poured into each and every person who has walks through these halls and gets to come back and invest in the future of the kids that are here. We want to celebrate that.”
There was no shortage of celebrities and local legends. Former NBA star Antonio Davis rolled in, sitting next to the playground legend Demetrius “Hook” Mitchell, teammates at Mack 40 years ago. Reigning NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. Former NFL star and Oakland dude Marshawn Lynch. Actor Boris Kodjoe. Russell’s widow, Jeannine Russell.
WNBA star Kelsey Plum and former NBA star Brandon Jennings – Under Armour’s first basketball signee – were opposing coaches for youth teams “The Town” and “The City.”
Nobody received a warmer welcome than Curry, and that included Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, the founder of the company behind the gym, the gear and logos scattered throughout the gym. Then again, Curry is the most visible and revered member of the UA family.
And, as MrBeast shouted, the best shooter in the world.
And now Curry is setting his jaw, preparing to take down a youngster half his age. Steph being Steph makes for an unfair advantage, so a rule change was enacted to bring a semblance of neutrality. Five racks, five balls in each, just like the NBA contest Saturday night at Chase Center, but Curry had 30 seconds and Gardner was given 60.
Could the kid drop the champ? Asked if he was nervous, Gardner says he was not. He has a plan and does not avert Curry’s confident glance.
Curry makes 14 triples in 19 tries before the buzzer sounds. Shooting from distance is in his blood. He has attempted 9,321 3-pointers in his NBA career. He won the NBA’s 3-point contest in 2015 and again in 2021. This is what he does.
Now it’s Gardner’s turn. Would his time at Mack, as well as has AAU experience with the East Bay Soldiers, allow him the serenity to make 15 shots and take home $10,000?
He drains nine.
“It was exciting,” Gardner says. “I really thought I was going to win. I just thought I was. I don’t know. I guess I really was nervous. I guess so.”
Give the kid some slack. He did not know the identity of his competition until “about 10 minutes before” the warmup period.
“I was told it was going to be an NBA player,” Gardner says. “I didn’t know it was going to be Steph.”
He’ll get a share of the cash anyway. As the winner, Curry had the pick of his charities. He chose to donate the pool full of cash to Eat. Learn. Play. The foundation committed to feed, educate and allow play spaces for Oakland’s youth.
Gardner is smiling. How can he lose when everybody wins?
