“A 9-year-old girl wrote a note to NBA star Steph Curry pointing out that his namesake sneakers appeared to be available for sale only to boys,” NBC News reported in November 2018. She was “a young basketball player from Napa named Riley Morrison,” ABC7 wrote. “I’m 9 years old from Napa, California,” her letter said, as CBS San Francisco published it. “I asked my dad to buy me the new Curry 5’s because I’m starting a new basketball season,” she wrote, but “My dad and I visited the Under Armour website and were disappointed to see that there were no Curry 5’s for sale under the girls section.” “They were only marketed to boys,” the Associated Press wrote.
“I hope you can work with Under Armour to change this because girls want to rock Curry 5’s too,” she wrote, in CBS San Francisco’s copy of her letter. It was, NBC News reported, “her letter, which her father posted online on Nov. 18.” Days later, “On Thursday, Curry tweeted the handwritten note that he sent Riley in response,” NBC News reported on November 29. As ABC7 transcribed it: “I appreciate your concern and have spent the last 2 days talking to Under Armor about how we can fix the issue. Unfortunately, we have labeled smaller sizes as ‘boys’ on the website. We are correcting this now!”
“He said he has now worked with Under Armour to put them in the girls section too, and sure enough the shoes are now there,” NBC News wrote. Then, ESPN reported, “Curry sent two pairs of the new Under Armour Curry 6 shoes to 9-year-old Riley Morrison on Christmas morning.”
“To honor Morrison, Under Armour and Curry asked Riley to add her personal design touch to the UA ICON Curry 6 United We Win colorway,” CBS San Francisco reported. “Riley designed a sockliner that features two girls playing basketball, surrounded by the words that inspired Riley to play the role of a Uniter, such as ‘Be Fearless,’ ‘Girl Power,’ ‘Be the Change,’ ‘Girls Hoop Too,’ and ‘Rock the Currys.’” NBC News described “a drawing of two girls holding a basketball on a sock liner,” and wrote that “Under Armour said in a statement on its website Friday that Riley Morrison, 9, designed the sock liner.”
“Steph Curry celebrated International Women’s Day by releasing his newest namesake sneaker,” NBC News reported on March 8, 2019, and “Under Armour said sales from the sneaker will go toward a scholarship for a college-bound girl in the Bay Area.” “She was focused on the opportunity for ALL girls, not just herself,” Curry said, CBS San Francisco reported. Curry “surprised her with her own pair of the new sneakers,” NBC News wrote, and Riley said: “It’s been amazing. It’s a really special experience. I never imagined that this would happen.” And: “I’m really happy I wrote that letter.”
Fact check
The facts and where they come from
- She was 9 when she told Steph Curry his shoes left girls out. NBC News: “A 9-year-old girl wrote a note to NBA star Steph Curry pointing out that his namesake sneakers appeared to be available for sale only to boys.” 1
- Her name is Riley Morrison. NBC News: “Riley Morrison wrote in her letter, which her father posted online on Nov. 18.” ABC7: “a young basketball player from Napa named Riley Morrison.” 12
- She was from Napa, California, and she loved basketball. Her letter, in CBS San Francisco: “I’m 9 years old from Napa, California.” CBS San Francisco: “Riley Morrison, … who loves basketball and lists Curry as her role model.” 4
- For her new season, she wanted his Curry 5 shoes. Her letter, in CBS San Francisco: “I asked my dad to buy me the new Curry 5’s because I’m starting a new basketball season.” 4
- But on Under Armour’s website, they were only listed for boys. Her letter, in CBS San Francisco: “My dad and I visited the Under Armour website and were disappointed to see that there were no Curry 5’s for sale under the girls section.” The Associated Press: “They were only marketed to boys.” Curry, in NBC News: “Unfortunately we have listed smaller sizes as ‘boys’ on the website.” 461
- So she wrote him a letter, and her dad posted it online. NBC News: “her letter, which her father posted online on Nov. 18.” 1
- “Girls want to rock Curry 5’s too,” she wrote. Her letter, in CBS San Francisco: “I hope you can work with Under Armour to change this because girls want to rock Curry 5’s too.” ESPN has the same words (“…rock Curry 5’s, too”); NBC News has “rock the Curry 5’s too.” 431
- Days later, Curry answered in his own handwriting. NBC News (November 29, 2018): “On Thursday, Curry tweeted the handwritten note that he sent Riley in response.” ABC7: “He tweeted the following handwritten response.” 12
- “We are correcting this now,” he wrote. His note, as ABC7 transcribed it: “I appreciate your concern and have spent the last 2 days talking to Under Armor about how we can fix the issue. Unfortunately, we have labeled smaller sizes as ‘boys’ on the website. We are correcting this now!” ESPN: “We are correcting this now!” 23
- Soon, his shoes were listed for girls too. NBC News: “He said he has now worked with Under Armour to put them in the girls section too, and sure enough the shoes are now there.” 1
- On Christmas morning, two pairs of the new Curry 6 arrived. ESPN: “Curry sent two pairs of the new Under Armour Curry 6 shoes to 9-year-old Riley Morrison on Christmas morning.” 3
- Then they asked her to design the inside of a special edition. CBS San Francisco: “To honor Morrison, Under Armour and Curry asked Riley to add her personal design touch to the UA ICON Curry 6 United We Win colorway.” NBC News: “Under Armour said in a statement on its website Friday that Riley Morrison, 9, designed the sock liner.” The Associated Press: “a 9-year-old girl who helped design the inside of the latest version.” 456
- It showed two girls playing basketball, and the words Girl Power. CBS San Francisco: “Riley designed a sockliner that features two girls playing basketball, surrounded by the words that inspired Riley to play the role of a Uniter, such as ‘Be Fearless,’ ‘Girl Power,’ ‘Be the Change,’ ‘Girls Hoop Too,’ and ‘Rock the Currys.’” NBC News: “a drawing of two girls holding a basketball on a sock liner.” 45
- It came out on International Women’s Day, to fund a college scholarship for a girl. NBC News (March 8, 2019): “Steph Curry celebrated International Women’s Day by releasing his newest namesake sneaker”; “Under Armour said sales from the sneaker will go toward a scholarship for a college-bound girl in the Bay Area.” 5
- “I’m really happy I wrote that letter,” she said. NBC News: “It’s been amazing. It’s a really special experience. I never imagined that this would happen,” Riley said; “I’m really happy I wrote that letter.” 5
Sources
- Steph Curry responds to 9-year-old asking to have his Curry 5 shoes in girls’ section (November 29, 2018) NBC News
- Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry responds to 9-year-old fan in Napa who wants his sneakers in girls’ sizes ABC7 San Francisco (KGO)
- Stephen Curry fulfills promise, sends Under Armour Curry 6 shoes to young fan (December 29, 2018) ESPN
- Warriors Star Steph Curry Delivers On 9-Year-Old Napa Girl’s Challenge (March 8, 2019) CBS San Francisco
- Steph Curry releases sneaker co-designed by girl who asked why only boys sizes existed (March 8, 2019) NBC News
- Stephen Curry surprises girl who helped with shoe design (March 8, 2019) The Associated Press, on NBA.com
Notes
His reply: outlets transcribed his handwriting slightly differently. NBC News has “listed,” ABC7 “labeled”; ABC7 and ESPN agree on “We are correcting this now!”, which the Short quotes.
Her letter: CBS San Francisco and ESPN print “girls want to rock Curry 5’s too”; NBC News has “rock the Curry 5’s too.”
Her design: she designed the sockliner, the inside of the shoe, for the UA ICON Curry 6 “United We Win” colorway, not a whole shoe; the Short says “the inside of a special edition.”
The scholarship: Under Armour’s words, as NBC News reported them, are “sales from the sneaker will go toward a scholarship for a college-bound girl in the Bay Area”; reports that all proceeds went to it are not used.
Where and when Curry surprised her with her own pair: NBC News says Thursday, at a pop-up shop in Oakland; the AP says Friday, at a CBS interview. The Short says only that the shoe came out on International Women’s Day. CBS San Francisco said beforehand that she would wear her shoes at center court that Friday night, and the AP that Curry invited her to the home game; no report after the game was found, so that is left out.
Riley Morrison was a child at the time. Only her own published words and what the outlets published are used: her name, her age then, Napa, California, her letter and what she said at the release. No photo of her is shown, and nothing about her school, her family or her life since is given; her dad appears only as the one who posted her letter. Steph Curry is alive; only his published words and public actions are used.
Pictures: no free photo shows Riley Morrison, her letter, Curry’s reply or the Curry 5 and Curry 6 shoes; in the Short, the two letters appear only as typeset cards quoting the published words. Steph Curry is at Oracle Arena in Oakland on April 6, 2014 (Noah Salzman); at the Warriors’ game in Washington on February 28, 2017 (Keith Allison); talking to reporters after a shootaround and warming up in Denver on November 4, 2017 (two photos by Cyrus Saatsaz); and signing an autograph at the 2022 All-Star weekend practice in Cleveland on February 19, 2022, and in his own shoes, not the Curry 5, at the 2022 All-Star Game on February 20, 2022 (two photos by Erik Drost). The Under Armour shoes, a 3D-printed shoe on display and a pair of red running shoes, were photographed at an Under Armour store opening in Baltimore on June 28, 2016 (Maryland GovPics, Steve Kwak); they are not Curry shoes. The girls’ basketball game is a 2009 Maryland high-school final (Marylandstater); it is not Riley Morrison and not her design, and no one in it is named. The hoop at sunset (Shixart1985, June 4, 2023), the hand writing in a notebook (Tookapic) and the Christmas presents (Chris Olszewski, Brisbane, December 24, 2019) are generic photos, not hers. The Napa Valley welcome sign was photographed on April 5, 2023 (DestinationFearFan), and Oracle Arena on June 6, 2019, during the NBA Finals, not on March 8 (Jim Heaphy).
Photo credits
The archive photos in this story
The photographs and illustrations in this story are in the public domain or shared under open licenses; each one is credited below with its license. Tap one to enlarge it, or follow the link to its Wikimedia Commons page for the full record. The narration, captions and graphics in the Short are our own; its music and sound effects are credited below.
Music and sound effects
Music: Grieg, Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, public domain); Brahms, Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73: IV. Allegro con spirito (Musopen Symphony Orchestra, CC0).
Sound effects: Freesound, CC0.
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