Stephen Curry Launches Oakland Scholarship Fund, Declines Corporate Deal That Clashed With His Values
Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry has once again proven that his legacy extends far beyond basketball. The two-time MVP announced the creation of a new scholarship fund for underprivileged students in Oakland — a project personally funded by Curry after he
The announcement, made through his foundation “Eat. Learn. Play.,” has sent shockwaves through the sports world, with fans and fellow athletes praising Curry’s leadership and integrity. While financial details of the declined deal were not disclosed, sources close to the Warriors’ organization describe it as “multi-million dollar,” highlighting just how significant Curry’s choice was.
In his statement, Curry explained his decision with characteristic humility and conviction:
“EDUCATION CHANGES LIVES — I’VE SEEN IT FIRSTHAND.
I DON’T NEED A DEAL THAT COMPROMISES WHAT I BELIEVE IN.
IF YOU’RE GIVEN A PLATFORM, USE IT TO LIFT OTHERS HIGHER.”
The scholarship fund, set to launch in early 2026, will cover tuition, mentorship, and living expenses for students from low-income families in Oakland — the city where Curry’s NBA journey began and where his community work continues to flourish.
According to the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, the initiative’s first phase aims to support 100 students annually, providing not only financial assistance but also mentorship opportunities with professionals across multiple industries. Curry emphasized that the program’s mission is to break cycles of inequality through access to education and empowerment.
“Steph isn’t just funding scholarships — he’s shaping futures,” said Lisa Drake, Executive Director of the foundation. “He believes every kid deserves a fair shot, regardless of where they’re born or what they can afford.”
Curry’s move has sparked nationwide discussion about the role of athletes as agents of social change. In a landscape where endorsements often overshadow ethics, his decision stands as a reminder that influence can be used for more than branding — it can be used for building.
Teammates and coaches quickly voiced their support. “That’s Steph,” said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. “He’s always led with purpose — on the court, in the locker room, and in the community. This is just another example of what makes him special.”
Fans echoed that sentiment across social media, flooding timelines with the hashtag #LiftOthersHigher — Curry’s new campaign motto that encapsulates his belief in collective progress.
For many, Curry’s choice signals a cultural shift in professional sports — one where
By walking away from a corporate deal and investing in education instead, Stephen Curry has shown that greatness isn’t just about records or rings. It’s about responsibility.
In his own words, “If you’re given a platform, use it to lift others higher.”
And once again, he’s doing exactly that.
Analyzing the Canucks’ cap situation heading into NHL roster finalization
With the final roster due on Monday, October 6th, it’s time to look at the Vancouver Canucks‘ salary cap situation heading into the season.
There are several camp battles and trade rumours that could change the Canucks’ salary heading into their season opener on Thursday,
Setting a baseline
There are currently 28 players remaining at training camp, with three of those (Nils Höglander, Guillaume Brisebois, and Jet Woo) confirmed to open the season on Injured Reserve.
Forwards: (14)
Arshdeep Bains, Teddy Blueger, Brock Boeser, Filip Chytil, Braeden Cootes, Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, Evander Kane, Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Drew O’Connor, Elias Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Kiefer Sherwood
Defencemen: (9)
Derek Forbort, Filip Hronek, Quinn Hughes, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, Victor Mancini, Tyler Myers, Elias Pettersson, Marcus Pettersson, Tom Willander
Goaltenders: (2)
Thatcher Demko, Kevin Lankinen
Injured: (3)
Nils Höglander, Guillaume Brisebois, Jett Woo
Of the remaining players, 16 have a cap hit of over $1.0 million AAV and are locks to make the opening starting roster. These players’ combined cap hit is $79.7625m.
Höglander and Brisebois both have a cap charge while they remain on Injured Reserve. Höglander’s is $3.0m while Brisebois’ is much lower at $0.08802m. The reason Brisebois has a cap charge while Jett Woo does not is that Brisebois spent time on the NHL roster last season, and Woo did not. Brisebois’ cap charge is a percentage of his total cap hit, $0.775m AAV, of the number of days he spent on the roster last season. Combining their cap hits gives a total of
It should be noted that Höglander’s expected recovery timeline is about two months, while nothing has been officially stated about Brisebois. When Brisebois is healthy, he will be waived and sent to Abbotsford, freeing up his small cap charge. The Canucks, however, would need to free up a roster space for Höglander. They do not get any cap relief from him being out of commission.
The Canucks also have two “dead” cap charges in the form of the Oliver Ekman-Larsson buyout, $4.766667m, and Ilya Mikheyev retention, $0.7125m. This is a total of $5.479167.
With a maximum salary cap of $95.5m for this upcoming season, the Canucks salary breakdown looks like this: $95.5m – ($76.25m + $3.08802m + $5.479167m) =
Averaging the roster battles cap hits
Waiver-Exempt: Lekkerimäki, Mancini, Pettersson, & Willander
Waiver-Eligible: Bains, Karlsson, Räty, & Joseph
Junior or NHL Only: Cootes
Jonathan Lekkerimäki: $0.918333m
Victor Mancini: $0.87m
Elias Pettersson: $0.838333m
Tom Willander: $0.95m
Arshdeep Bains: $0.775m
Linus Karlsson: $0.775m
Aatu Räty: $0.775m
Pierre-Olivier Joseph: $0.775m
Braeden Cootes: $0.975m
Including all four waiver-eligible players on the roster increases the roster size to 20/23 and decreases the cap space: $7.170313m – $3.1m = $4.070313m
That leaves three roster spots available for a combination of Lekkerimäki, Cootes, Mancini, Pettersson, and Willander. The average cap hit of these five players is $0.910332m. Taking that number and then attributing it to the final three spots is equal to a $2.730996m cap hit. That would further reduce the Canucks cap space from $4.070313m to $1.339317m. Rounding up, that leaves the Canucks with approximately
Another wrinkle thrown into all this is that both Forbort and Joseph have missed the last several practices and games with injuries. Head Coach Adam Foote has stated their priority is to have Forbort healthy to play in game one but was not as forthcoming with Joseph’s status. Since the last day to place a player on waivers in order to remove them from the roster before the finalization date is Sunday, October 5th, and the Canucks did not place anyone on waivers, this indicates that they are either two waiver-exempt players will be sent to Abbotsford or, most likely, one of Forbort or Joseph will be placed on injury reserve and only one place is sent to the AHL.
From the moves the Canucks have not made, there’s a clear indication that they will start the season with 14 forwards and seven defencemen configuration. Of the three waiver-exempt defencemen, Tom Willander has had the least impressive camp and is just starting his professional career.
Combining the Canucks latest practice lines, take Foote’s word about Forbort playing against the Flames, and assume Blueger’s absence from the latest practice is a maintenance day, that leaves an opening night roster of 23 players looking like this:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
Bains-Chytil-Garland
Kane-Cootes-Lekkerimäki
O’Connor-Blueger-Sherwood
Karlsson/Raty
Hughes-Hronek
M.Pettersson-Myers
Forbort-Mancini
E.Pettersson
Demko
Lankinen
IR: Hoglander, Joseph, Brisebois, Woo
This line-up would have around 0.47m in total cap space to start the season.
With the Canucks starting the regular season so close to the salary cap, adding anyone from outside the organization would require an equal cap hit to be removed.
Summing it all up
If the Canucks enter the season with a reasonably healthy roster (knock on wood), they’ll be in a good position to make additional roster additions as the season progresses. They even have the cap flexibility to make a roster addition now without drastically altering their cap flexibility. The injury to Höglander opened a roster spot and allows them to carry all their preferred waiver-eligible players. Extrapolating that out to Forbort or Joseph starting the season on IR added another spot. They can freely shuffle their waiver-exempt players from the minors and NHL, with the decision on where Braeden Cootes will play being the only one that is binding after nine NHL games.
At this point, the Canucks would enter the season with around $0.47m in cap space, with a full 23-man roster. Their flexibility, however, is greatly limited. Sustaining another injury would require utilizing a roster below the maximum or entering into long-term injury reserve. That said, with Lekkerimäki, Pettersson, and Mancini still waiver-exempt, the Cootes decision looming, and the unknown injury status of Forbort and Joseph, the roster is far from settled. The line-up that is submitted on Monday may look quite different in just a few weeks time.
