NBA: Jeremy Lin praises Steph Curry for auctioning Bruce Lee shoes for Asian community
- Golden State Warriors star will sell off customised pair worn in NBA loss to Hawks, with proceeds to go to Atlanta shooting victims’ families
- ‘This is a significant opportunity to raise some money,’ Curry says of project with Bruce Lee Foundation, as Jeremy Lin praises move
Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry will auction off a pair of his signature Under Armour Curry 8 basketball shoes with Bruce Lee-inspired customisation to raise money for the families of the Atlanta shooting victims, with Jeremy Lin among those to praise the former NBA MVP.
“This is a significant opportunity to raise some money. We’re gonna auction them off,” Curry said in a media conference after his team’s loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
“Obviously, what Bruce Lee stood for in terms of unifying people, speaking on the collective harmony of everybody from different backgrounds, different races, but especially you know his Asian heritage.
“I think he has a lot of quotes and just narratives and themes that he spoke on consistently that still ring true today and I know his foundation is doing a lot to live that out and to impact people’s lives and continue to spark change.
“So you know, obviously stopping Asian hate is huge across the country and across this world but here the shoes are a very small way to hopefully raise money for that work and that cause and, you know, raise awareness.”
As reported by ESPN’s The Undefeated before the Warriors game in Atlanta against the Hawks, Curry partnered with the Bruce Lee Foundation on the project.
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“We’ll keep you posted on the auction when it happens,” the official Bruce Lee account on Twitter wrote on Tuesday, thanking Curry and the US sportswear brand.
The shoes featured hand-painted images honouring the Hong Kong-born martial arts superstar alongside a quote from Lee: “Under the sky, under the heavens, there is but one family.” The shoes were customised by Kreative Custom Kicks.
The Undefeated’s Nick DePaula wrote on Twitter on Monday that details of the auction will be released later this week.
NBA free agent Lin, who has been one of the most vocal athletes on the attacks against the Asian-American, Pacific Islander community in the US, was among those to praise Curry for his gesture of solidarity.
“Respect,” Lin wrote on Twitter. “Man of God speaking out for others.”
Others spoke up in support of Curry, including Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.
“He understands the power that he holds, whether it’s to raise money or to raise awareness,” Kerr said of Curry’s gesture of support for the Asian community. “He’s just an incredibly thoughtful, self-aware athlete.”
Shannon Lee, Bruce’s daughter, praised Curry in an interview with The Undefeated.
“I am honoured he would choose my father and my family as the symbol for the idea that we are all one family, as my father said, and therefore must all stand for one another,” she said.
