NBA star Steph Curry to auction off custom-designed sneakers in solidarity with the Asian community

Steph Curry will auction off a pair of custom-designed sneakers to raise money for the families of the victims of last month’s Atlanta-area spa shootings.

The Golden State Warriors star wore the yellow, white and black shoes in his side’s defeat to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday to show solidarity with the Asian community which has faced an increase of hate crimes over the past year.

The shoes, designed in tandem with the Bruce Lee Foundation, included Bruce Lee’s painted face alongside his famous quote which reads: “Under the heavens, there is but one family.”

“I think Stephen’s gesture is a beautiful example of allyship and solidarity in action,” said Shannon Lee, chairperson of the Bruce Lee Foundation board of directors.

“I am honored 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.”

READ: Violence towards Asian Americans is ‘hitting differently’ amid the pandemic

Step Curry wore the custom-designed shoes on Sunday.

Six Asian women were among eight people killed in the shootings at three Atlanta-area spas in March, a tragedy that brought attention to the rise of anti-Asian violence in the US.

Advocates and authorities say they have received reports of thousands of xenophobic attacks against Asian people since the pandemic began.

Jeremy Lin, who became the first Asian American to win an NBA title in 2019 while with the Toronto Raptors, has been outspoken about his experiences and says the Covid-19 pandemic has intensified a pre-existing problem in the country.

He pointed to how he thinks certain rhetoric around the virus has contributed to anti-Asian discrimination.

Former US President Donald Trump, for example, received criticism for referring to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” and “Kung flu” during his presidency.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, Curry told The Undefeated how outraged he was on hearing about the shootings in Atlanta.

“Disgust, horror and outright anger at why any violence keeps happening in our country,” he said.

“After all we have been through this past year, let alone in the history of our country, people still deal with unnecessary tragedy and are afraid for their lives. We have to do better.”