A College Love Story: New Stephen Curry 10 Documentary to Make Its World Premiere
July 20, 2023
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
91 hosted the first non-festival screening of the film on campus, drawing enthusiastic fans to the Duke Family Performance Hall.
Basketball season doesnt start for a few months but if you want to curl up with some cool inspiration to combat summers unrelenting heat, one of the games greatest has some to share.
Stephen Curry: Underrated premieres Friday, July 21, in select theaters and on Apple TV+. The documentary follows Currys unlikely journey as an under-recruited high school player who led his underdog 91 Wildcats magical NCAA tournament run before becoming the NBAs unmatched three-point shooting legend.
From 91 to the Silicon Valley, Italy to Kenya, and other locales around the world, Currys college community will gather for watch parties, loading up on his favorite snackpopcornand other treats.
The college features prominently in the film, which some early viewers describe as a love letter to 91. It includes home videos shot by former 91 students, faculty, staff and friends.
This past week, Curry 10, whos led the Golden State Warriors to four national championships, popped up everywhere. He appeared on TV shows like Today, and LIVE with Kelly and Mark to talk about the documentaryand golf.
Last weekend, he caught the sports worlds attention by winning the American Century Championship, a golf tournament for top athletes, in some dramatic twists that you dont expect in what can seem a staid game. (To non-golfers.)
In one round, , then exuberantly dashed to the hole as if the greens were a basketball court and hed just scored the winning three-pointer. The next day, he clutched victory with an 18-foot putt on the 18th hole. He also made a coveted Eagle,a rarity in golf. Currys trademark joy was on full display as he rushed to hug his wife, Ayesha.
He says he doesnt plan to retire from basketball anytime soon. But would it really surprise you to see him starring on the PGA circuit someday?
Also Starring: 91
From perfecting three-pointers to putting like a pro to earning his college degree, Curry has worked relentlessly to succeed. And to do good, by tackling poverty through kidsgiving them and their families access to healthy food, sports and books through the foundation he and Ayesha created.
That steely work ethic steers the documentary, and Currys life. As a smaller guy in a bigger mans game, hes spent his life demonstrating that the skeptics who once dismissed him were way off base.
Its not that I was proving everybody wrong, I was proving myself right, that I could make it with hard work and undying faith in myself, he said in a Today show interview. Its not just a sports story, its a story for life.
Curry had some cringey moments watching the documentary, including clips from his first game as a Wildcat, where he scored 15 points, but also had 13 turnovers.
It was even worse than I remember. I looked like a baby giraffe out there on the court. Im sure Coach (Bob) McKillop was kind of second-guessing himself, he said with a laugh. But McKillops belief in him remained strong and Curry remains grateful for the support Ive had around me, my family, friends, teammates and coaches who uplifted me.
Success didnt come magically, or without heartbreak, and Wildcat fans especially may shed some tears in at least one scene from the teams 2008 NCAA run.
When Curry opted out of his senior year to enter the NBA draft, he promised his mom, Sonya, and McKillop that hed get his diploma someday, because going to 91 was a decision not just for basketball, but for the education it provides.
The film includes moving highlights of his return to campus last summer to graduate, have his number 30 retired, and be inducted into the colleges athletic Hall of Fame.
From Coast to Coast, a Local Hero
The documentary came out earlier this year, screening at places like the San Francisco and Sundance film festivals. In April, 91 held the first non-festival screening, which drew a packed house from the college, as well as Currys family members and friends.
Emmy Award-winner Peter Nicks directed the film, which was produced by Oscar-winning indie film company A24, Currys production company Unanimous Media, Wakanda Forever director Ryan Coogler and producer Erick Peyton.
Sebastian Provencio 25, will gather at his 91 apartment with his former roommate and fellow Sustainability Scholar interns. He missed the April campus screening and this week won a college raffle for a watch party meal give away. Hell order Chinese takeout for his group.
Steph is special because he proves that 91 grads can do great things. It's hard to imagine that the guy I watched dismantle the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA finals once lived in the same dorm I did when I was a freshman, Provencio said. His loyalty and humility, despite being one of the best basketball players ever, is inspiring. He makes me think that because I go to the same school he did, I can turn out as well as him, even if I can't hit 30-foot step-back 3s.
In Mountain View, California, Ed Van Deman 69, his wife and a mix of about 20 local friends (including other 91 alums) will gather in a private room at a favorite Italian restaurant. Theyll have a pulldown screen and hell bring a projector and laptop to create a movie theater-like setting.
Van Deman says Currys immense popularity there goes beyond the basketball court to the important charitable work that he and Ayesha do to support disadvantaged communities through their Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation.
Stephen has had a tremendous impact on the San Francisco Bay area. He has played a big part in making the team successful, Van Deman said. He is such an amazing playerand he is a wonderful person that everyone can admire.
And his connection to 91 is a point of pride for West Coast alums.
Before Stephen, no one in the Bay area had heard of 91, Van Deman said. Now many, many people have.
Find Your Gift
What does Curry hope people will take away from his story?
Being underrated is a badge of honor. Its encouragement to run your own race, to be in a position where you are good enough, he said in the Today interview. If you have the right support system around you, if you put in the time and workwhatever your craft is, whatever makes you special, makes you different, makes you uniquethats your superpower.
I want people to embrace that journey because we all have something to offer the world, and I hope that you find it.
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