Ayesha Curry cleared something up that has followed her for years, and the way she did it felt honest. Speaking on the IMO podcast, she addressed the old ‘no athletes’ comment and didn’t try to dodge it.
“I feel like this is something that gets misconstrued. So no, it’s not that you didn’t have game. I was 14 years old. I was not allowed to talk to boys. That does make a difference. But did I think you were cute? Absolutely.”
“That is true. But a very disrespectful comment also, on my part. I had very textbook misconceptions, movie plot ideas of athletes, the jock stereotype. I was a theater nerd, so I think I was protecting my peace. The teacher had an activity one day in class, and she said, write down what you would look for.”
“And it was in capital letters, like God is funny. It was in capital letters, and my parents found it way down the road. I want to say maybe eight years ago in an old box, and they were like, look at this. And I’m like, oh wow, it’s embarrassing. But yeah, it was just an activity in class that she had us do, but I definitely did say that, and I think I did think that too.”
“This is another thing that gets misconstrued. People think that in the past I said that he wasn’t my type. But what I was saying was I didn’t think I was his type because this was Mr. Cool. So I kind of sold myself short thinking there’s no way. He must just like me as a friend, so I won’t even take that.”
“I’m glad I didn’t get friend-zoned. When I finally realized that that was the direction it was going in, I verbalized that to him that I was confused because if there’s one thing I’m going to do, I’m going to speak my mind. But he looked at me because he had come to my house for two weeks straight at the time, my parents’ house.”
Looking back, she doesn’t hide from it. She said she had ‘textbook misconceptions’ and even laughed about how embarrassing it feels now. She shared a story about a school activity where she had written down what she wanted in a partner, and years later, her parents found it in an old box. Reading it again made her realize how much she had changed. That moment says more than any apology could, because it shows growth instead of just saying the right thing.
From there, things shifted. The hesitation faded, the assumptions broke down, and their relationship moved forward. What started with uncertainty turned into something steady, something that lasted.
Now, fifteen years into marriage with four children, Riley, Ryan, Canon, and Caius, it’s easy to look at their story and see stability. But it didn’t begin that way.
It began with doubt, with misread signals, and with a teenager trying to protect herself from what she thought the situation was. That’s why her apology feels genuine. She didn’t just correct the record. She explained the mindset behind it and how it changed over time.
And in doing that, she showed how far she’s come, both as a person and as a partner.
