Stephen Curry sits down with his wife Ayesha and former Davidson coach Bob McKillop to discuss his new book "Shot Ready," which explores mindset and perseverance through photography. McKillop surprises Curry by announcing that North Carolina has named Exit 30 on I-77 the "Stephen Curry Interchange" in honor of his hometown roots.
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Stephen Curry is a 4-time NBA champion and 2-time league MVP, Olympic gold medalist, and the greatest 3-point shooter of all time.
I'm proud to say he's also my husband. And now he's out with a beautiful new project close to his heart and my heart, his latest book called "Shot Ready." Honey, come on out.
Oh my gosh.
So thank y'all for having me.
Oh, thank you, thank you so much.
This is also hilarious 'cause I get crap all the time 'cause I do sometimes forget the flowers and I got some amazing sis people back there.
They gave you these?
So there we go. Thank y'all for making me look good.
Thank you.
I gotta keep it real.
Oh my gosh, okay, first of all.
How we doing?
What do you think? Is she a natural or what?
She is a natural.
I love y'all's chemistry.
Thank you.
She's amazing in front of the camera, so it's great to be here.
She really is. Well, we're so happy you're here.
Thank you very much.
And this, I'm a reader and this book is, Absolutely gorgeous. The photos are amazing, but also it's super reflective.
Yeah.
What was it like working on this project?
It was fun. It was an idea that came to photographers Squint and Noah Graham, who've been a part of the journey for a long time. I got to just see basically a table full of our life on, and images, and I would kind of associate those with some amazing memories philosophies, moments, inspirations that kind of, you know, got me through the journey. So I was like, you know, put the book together, have something that people can be proud of on a coffee table, but also tells an amazing story of mindset that's not just for sports, but for life. Mm-hmm.
All right.
I mean, you see this mindset in him.
Yes, all the time.
How do you guys kind of work together for both of you guys to like make sure your family's mindset like is shot ready? You know what I mean?
I feel like we just make sure that we keep an open space for people to ask questions.
Yeah.
We encourage our kids to show up on time, to put in the work. Simple things like that.
I like that. No matter what you're really into, like, obviously basketball is my life, but I've been inspired by some amazing people around, like she said, our family, myself, and the journey who've helped me get here. And I've learned a lot from them. So to be able to pass a little bit of that off has been important, not just in the book, but as a parent too.
Well, I know Davidson was kind of a big part of what you did to get here, right? Like that college journey. I mean, y'all were together.
It's when we started dating when I was in college and she's basically an honorary Davidson student.
I am.
Very proud of it.
Yes, yes. That was a big part of your success, right? And your coach there was super inspirational.
He was. He's, you know, outside of my parents, he's one of the amazing, you know, voices of, of reason, wisdom. He challenged me from day one, but he also saw the best in me, even when I didn't see it myself. So Coach McKillop was a big inflection point in my life. One of the best decisions I think I ever made going there.
Well, he supported you throughout your career, but he also wanted to support you today. Coach McKillop, come on out!
Hey!
What are you doing here, sir?
Congrats, the band is back together.
How are you?
Hi, Ayesha, how are you?
Hi. Wonderful to see you.
What are y'all—
We needed to surprise you.
Under such unique circumstances.
Yeah, we needed to surprise you. I mean, first of all, how great is Ayesha doing?
You just look at him and you think, wow, she must be doing great.
Okay, so talk about this relationship. I know his first game, first of all, Davidson, like he was so hyped and his first game, sorry.
Oh, it was not good.
Yeah, okay, I didn't wanna be the one to say it.
No, that's part of what's in the book. It's not just about the successes, it's about the failures. I know you could talk about it. He had to make one of the hardest decisions. I had 9 turnovers in the first half of my first ever college game.
So what was that like? I mean, as a coach, what did you do to get, to reframe it?
Well, he wasn't even a point guard and he had 9 turnovers. And he finished with a double-double, 15 points, 13 turnovers. So not the proverbial double-double that you want. And we trusted him, but he trusted us. When we gave him a scholarship, we said, "We trust you, Steph." And when he accepted Davidson's scholarship, he said, "I trust you." And trust is a two-way street. And that was the first challenge to it, and we lived through it.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, he definitely lived through it. You've said that he's taught you more than you could have ever taught him.
Precisely. You know, you see so much in his life and how he touches so many lives with the joy he provides, but the hope that he gives. You know, 20 blocks from here, Madison Square Garden, he sets the record for most 3-pointers. And Madison Square Garden, the home of the Knicks, treated him as if he was one of their sons. They were on their feet cheering for him from the opening tap until he made the record breaker 2, 3 minutes into the game. To me, that shows the impact of Stephen Curry.
Mm-hmm. Steph, what does this guy mean to you?
Oh, man, he's the truest, you know, of the word servant. Like, he— Anybody who's played for him, who knows him, has been a part of the Davidson basketball program that he built from scratch, like it's, he teaches and impacts the whole person. It's not just about the basketball player. And we have so many Coach McKillop-isms that I still use to this day. And just the idea, like I said, he saw me for the potential and what he wanted to get out of me, but I was also good enough for the opportunity that he was given to be a Davidson basketball player. Like I said, best decision I ever made. I got to learn about myself and grow and have the support. And he still is showing up in that way, even him being here. I'm laughing because I gave a verbal commitment in my living room in Charlotte. This feels like a nice living room now. Whatever, 20-something years later, we're back.
Love that.
We're back in here.
Well, I know, Coach, you brought something.
Mm.
You brought something along that you wanted to share. Yes.
Wow. This is the Exit 30 sign that is going up. So obviously Exit 30 or number 30.
Yes.
But the Department of Transportation has named that exit the Stephen Curry Interchange. And it's interesting how Steph has put his fingerprints all over Davidson College and Davidson basketball. Now there's a beacon of light that will shine upon that town because of this man right here.
Wow. Wow. So if you're driving to Davidson, you're gonna see this?
I grew up in Charlotte and I drove down I-77 my whole life and it literally is exit 30, which is such a coincidence. But this is, this doesn't make any sense. This is pretty special, man.
Ayesha, what do you think?
I think it means free Brick House beers for life.
I wanna come. Let's go. Thank you so much, Coach. This is amazing. Hey y'all, thanks for watching "Today with Jenna and Friends." Come join us for all the fun every weekday morning on NBC. And don't forget to take me along when you're on the go. Follow the "Today with Jenna and Friends" podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen.
