Steph Curry Rallies for Women's Equality

NBA superstar Steph Curry has been surrounded by “incredible and fiercely principled” women his whole life. Now, that he is the father to two daughters, Riley and Ryan, he fit it high time to speak out about women’s equality and closing the gender pay gap. On Sunday, The Players’ Tribune published “This Is Personal,” an essay written by the two-time MVP about wanting his daughters to grow up in a world that treats them fairly.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that the idea of women’s equality has become a little more personal for me, lately, and a little more real,” Curry wrote. “I want our girls to grow up knowing that there are no boundaries that can be placed on their futures, period. I want them to grow up in a world where their gender does not feel like a rulebook for what they should think, or be, or do. And I want them to grow up believing that they can dream big, and strive for careers where they’ll be treated fairly.

Curry’s essay comes on the heels of many prominent figures in the WNBA and NBA speaking about the growing gender pay gap between the two leagues. Former NBA star Jalen Rose spoke up about WNBA players being treated as “second-class citizens,” and Skylar Diggins-Smith blasted the low earnings female players receive for the same amount of work as NBA players.

The three-time NBA champion called for all people, “not just fathers of daughters,” to fight for equality. “I’m feeling more driven than ever — to help out women who are working toward progress, in any way that I can,” Curry wrote.

He continued, “Let’s work to close the opportunity gap. Let’s work to close the pay gap… I mean, ‘women deserve equality’ — that’s not politics, right?”

Last week, Curry hosted his first all-girls basketball camp and vowed to help make a change for women across all platforms.