Stephen Curry met his future wife Ayesha Alexander when they were both teenagers. Eventually, they got married and were catapulted into the public eye after Steph was drafted by the Golden State Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft. In between growing a family, supporting each other’s passions, and dealing with haters, the Curry’s remain 100-percent committed to each other.
Holding strong to their faith while navigating a high-profile romance hasn’t been easy, but Steph and Ayesha have found a way to keep their love alive.
Here’s the truth about Steph and Ayesha Curry’s love story.
How they met
After meeting in 2002 at the Charlotte, North Carolina church both of their families attended, 15-year-old Steph was immediately drawn to Toronto native Ayesha. He admitted to Parents magazine he always had his eye on her when they were both a part of the church youth group, but he was too afraid to ask her out.
Ayesha was a little intimidated as well. In an interview with People magazine, she said Steph was the “cute boy at church that all of the girls were obsessed with.” So she automatically assumed that she didn’t have a chance with him.
She wasn’t allowed to date in high school anyway, but she still found a way to flirt with Steph. His sister Sydel Curry said Ayesha hardly spoke more than two words to Steph. But when she would visit Canada with her family, she would always bring Steph back some of his favorite candy, which he had discovered when his family briefly lived in Toronto during his dad’s NBA career.
Sydel Curry would watch Ayesha’s attempt at flirting in action, and she told Mercury News website, “I would look at her like ‘God, she’s so lame.’”
But Ayesha clearly made an impression on Steph. After sitting in Wednesday night Bible class with Steph, they would call each other on the phone from time to time, although there wasn’t much talking going on.
A mother’s prayer
After high school, Ayesha packed up and moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in modeling and acting. And Steph enrolled at Davidson College in North Carolina to chase his dream of becoming a basketball superstar.
In March of 2008, Steph became the most prolific scorer in college basketball, and everyone knew he would definitely be a first-round pick in the NBA draft. No one was more pleased than his parents — former NBA player Dell Curry and Sonya Curry.
Sonya told Mercury News that for years, she had been praying that her teenage son would focus on school and basketball and stay away from girls.
But one spring morning, she woke up and prayed. This time, her prayer was different. She asked for Steph to find a significant other, and a year later, her prayer would come true.
Meeting up in Los Angeles
During Steph’s junior year of college, he attended a basketball camp in L.A. He knew Ayesha was still living in the city, so he decided he would finally make his move. He looked her up on Facebook and sent her a message, asking if she wanted to hang out. Steph told the Charlotte Observer Ayesha initially turned him down and told him maybe they could hang out another time if he ever came back into town.
Little did Ayesha know, Steph was invited to attend the ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. So one week after basketball camp ended, he was back in the city. He reached out to her again. She finally agreed to go out on a date — well, at least he thought it was a date. Ayesha said it was more like,“friend vibes.”
She picked him up in her 1995 Chevy Astro van, and they ran around Hollywood, drinking chai tea lattes, and taking pictures with Marilyn Monroe impersonators.
Steph was just coming off of leading his college team to the Elite 8 in the March Madness tournament, and he was a big deal in the sports community. But Ayesha had no idea about his accomplishments since she wasn’t interested in sports at all. Steph told People magazine that it was “pretty refreshing” to hang out with her.
In an attempt to impress her, Steph spent all the money he had on a pair of Oakley sunglasses for Ayesha. It was a sweet gesture, but when he tried to kick things up a notch, Ayesha dodged his kiss.
She eventually moved back to Charlotte, and they officially started dating. She was done dodging Steph’s advances, and they finally shared their first kiss in his parents’ driveway.
How she knew he was the one
Ayesha Curry finally realized she wanted to marry Steph when she discovered how humble and selfless he is. She told Hello Giggles website that despite his popularity growing as college basketball phenom, Steph remained generous, kind, and gentle. He would make trips back to North Carolina to visit his family, as well as Ayesha and her family. She said he would play video games with her two younger brothers late into the night.
Ayesha said it meant a lot to her that he would take time out of his schedule to do that, and she knew from that point on that he would be an amazing father.
A sweet proposal
In 2009, before Steph could graduate from college, he got drafted in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. After another year of dating, Ayesha moved into her own apartment in Charlotte, and Steph flew back into their hometown to attend his sister’s volleyball game and Ayesha’s housewarming party.
When Steph showed up at her apartment, she told the Charlotte Observer that he was dressed really nice with a fresh haircut and cool sunglasses. They went to the volleyball game, and afterward, he stopped by his parents’ house to grab a board game.
As they were walking up the driveway, Steph stopped at the same spot where they shared their first kiss. Ayesha said he pulled her in close and started saying so many sweet things. Then he dropped down on one knee and proposed.
After jokingly asking if the ring was real, Ayesha said yes to his proposal while his family videotaped the moment from inside and cheered them on.
Life as husband and wife
In July 2011, they got married in front of 420 guests at the same church where they first met. When the doors of the church opened at Steph caught a glimpse of his bride, he said it brought tears to his eyes.
After becoming husband and wife, they honeymooned in Bora Bora for ten days. When they returned home, the NBA was in a lockout, so Ayesha worked on her business degree online while Steph re-enrolled at Davidson College to continue working on his sociology degree.
Their daughter Riley was born in 2012 — less than two weeks before the couple celebrated their one-year anniversary. A second daughter named Ryan was born in 2015, and their son Canon was born in 2018.
Learning from the pros
When Steph and Ayesha Curry are in need of solid marriage advice, they don’t need to look any further than their own parents who’ve been married for more than thirty years each.
Ayesha told Hello Giggles website her parents and her in-laws advised her and Steph to always put each other first above their children. This also means making time for date nights in between taking care of their three kids. Ayesha said it isn’t always easy, but she has realized that when their relationship is good, the kids are happier and thriving.
She also credits their communication for keeping their marriage on track. Even when they don’t want to talk about something, they’ll still hash it out tough conversations. And of course, the way to Steph’s heart is through his stomach.
The cookbook author told The Knot website that delicious food has played an important role in their relationship ever since they first started dating. Steph would stop by her parents’ house and she would always have dinner waiting for him. As husband and wife, Ayesha continues to whip up meals for her man, including his favorite dishes: bacon-wrapped scallops, lamb chops, and chicken parm.
Being the wife of an NBA superstar isn’t easy. And Ayesha admitted on an episode of Red Table Talk that all the women throwing themselves at her husband really bothers her. In addition to that, the attention Steph received made her feel a bit insecure about the lack of male attention she was receiving. Ayesha said, “So then I begin to internalize it, and I’m like, ‘Is something wrong with me?’”
While she received backlash for her statement, Steph came to her defense. In an Instagram post, he wrote that he was proud of her for being authentic and encouraged her to “keep being you.”
Each day is ‘the ultimate blessing’
In celebration of their eight-year wedding anniversary in July 2019, the basketball wife penned a touching tribute to her husband on Instagram. In her post, she wrote that they continue to find reasons and things to love about each other each and every day. She added: “Each day with you is the ultimate blessing. Getting to do life with you is an infinite sea of bliss.” Aww!
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