Curry’s three-pointers making a difference in Tanzania
SHEFFIELD (Julio Chitunda's African Message) - Stephen Curry continues galvanising the Golden State Warriors this season with record after record, but his electrifying game is making a lot more noise at the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp in Tanzania.
Curry, the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and the league's reigning MVP, joined the campaign of the United Nations' "Nothing But Nets" Foundation to protect families of refugees from malaria, a disease which claims the life of a child every 60 seconds, while he was still at Davidson College.
Through his "Three for Three" Challenge, Curry donates three bed nets for every three-pointer he makes in the Warriors' regular-season games.
Over the weekend, the 27-year-old reminded us why he is a making a difference for the refugees in Tanzania by breaking his own record for three-pointers made in a single season with 288 - and there are still 24 regular season games left to play. So, mathematically speaking, Curry's three-pointers have resulted in 864 bed nets so far.
It may not sound a lot for the thousands of residents at the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp where he assisted in a bed net distribution in 2013, but his gesture remains inspiring.
Stephen Curry (USA)
But he is not the only one fighting the malaria epidemic at the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. A number of personalities have joined forces and have distributed nearly 10 million nets - proof.
Malaria nets or hoop nets, @StephenCurry30 likes them all Just spent 2 days w/ us in Tanzania. Still got it: pic.twitter.com/pvNVwyQBih
— Rick Reilly (@ReillyRick) July 31, 2013
Curry's shooting has been nothing short of impressive since the 2015-16 season tipped off. He opened the campaign making five three-pointers as part of a 40-point performance the New Orleans Pelicans on 27 October and has never slowed down.
In Saturday's 121-118 overtime win against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Curry hit a staggering 12 three-pointers - including the game-winner from 33 feet out with less that a second remaining - to tie the single game record (Kobe Bryant, Donyell Marshall).
When asked to explain how he managed to sink the Thunder in a remarkable fashion, he said: "When I got the ball, I knew coach said if we got a stop and a clean rebound, push it. I looked up when I got the ball, there's about five or six seconds left, and the way they were shuffling around in transition, I was able to kind of just go at my own pace and rise up. And I got my feet set and watched it go in."
Curry is averaging a career-high 30.7 points per game and looks a heavy favourite to defend his MVP honours. Above all, the 1.91m guard - who is expected to feature for the USA at this summer's Olympics - seems poised for greatness this season.
Back from the day w/@nothingbutnets in Tanzania, where it's close to 1 Wednesday AM. What an amazing experience it's already been.
— Stephen Curry (@StephenCurry30) July 30, 2013
As the season moves on, it remains to be seen how many more bed nets Curry can deliver for the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp.
Julio Chitunda
FIBA
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