Stephen Curry honored with the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award for his Oakland youth foundation

Stephen Curry is used to being celebrated for what he does on a basketball court. On 14 July 2026, at the Sports Humanitarian Awards at Gotham Hall in New York City, he was honored for something else entirely: his work off it. The Golden State Warriors guard received the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award, given annually through the Muhammad Ali Center to an athlete who uses their leadership for good in their community.

The recognition centered on the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which Curry co-founded in 2019 with his wife, Ayesha Curry. The organization supports youth development across Oakland, California, working to make sure children have access to nutritious food, quality education and safe places to be active — meeting kids, as Curry put it, “where they already are every single day.”

Accepting the award, Curry pointed back to the city that helped launch his career. “Oakland gave us so much love, support and energy, and this is how we are able to continue to give back to the community that has wrapped its arms around us from the very beginning back in 2009,” he said. It was a nod to the roots of a partnership between an athlete and a city that has grown into a wide-ranging philanthropic effort.

The award placed Curry among a group of honorees recognized at the 2026 ceremony for community impact. For one of basketball’s most decorated players, it underscored a legacy that extends well beyond championships and scoring records — into classrooms, kitchens and playgrounds where thousands of Oakland children eat, learn and play.