NBA star Stephen Curry and wife Ayesha welcomed their daughter Riley Elizabeth Curry into the world on Thursday.
Curry tweeted:
“Thanks for all the well wishes.baby is helathy and beautifull. Introducing Riley Elizabeth Curry. 8lbs 20oz. Born 1:40pm 7/19/12”
See Riley’s photo below:
Ayesha Alexander and Stephen Curry met in youth group at the Central Church of God in Charlotte, which both their families attended. “It’s funny, our parents used to make jokes about how cute we were together, but we didn’t know,” Stephen says.
Ayesha remembers when she found out she and Stephen had both lived in Toronto and loved the same Canadian candy. “I got him some fuzzy peaches, but I was so shy I didn’t say anything. I just handed them to him and walked off,” she laughs.
Stephen admits to being equally shy, but he says he was always aware when Ayesha was around.
After high school, Ayesha moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career. While Stephen was in L.A. for basketball camp, he sent her a Facebook message asking her to hang out.
“She tried to play me off, saying we could hang out another time if I was ever back in town,” Stephen says. “She didn’t know I was coming back the next week.”
The two Charlotteans spent their first date running around Hollywood, drinking chai tea lattes and taking pictures with fake Marilyn Monroes.
Once Ayesha moved home to Charlotte, the two officially started dating. Stephen was still attending Davidson College, and Ayesha continued her acting career – including a role on the series “Whittaker Bay” and a spot on “Hannah Montana.”
In 2009, a year after the legendary “Elite 8” season with the Wildcats, Stephen decided to make the move to the NBA. “I thought I was going to New York,” Stephen admits. “They had the 8th pick, but I went 7th to the Golden State Warriors. I don’t know what would have happened if I’d gone to New York. It was nice to have that decision made for us.”
The two had been dating for a couple of years when Stephen started to plan his proposal. On that day, Ayesha was planning to have a housewarming party at her new apartment in Charlotte. “We were going to go to his sister’s volleyball game and then come back here. He showed up dressed really nice, with a fresh haircut and cool sunglasses; I was like, ‘Wow, look at you!’” she says.
After the game, they stopped at Stephen’s parents’ house to grab the board game Pokeno. As they were walking up the driveway, Stephen stopped. “He asked me if I knew where we were standing. It was the spot where we had our first kiss,” she says. “He pulled me close and started saying all these sweet things and then dropped down on one knee. I was in a state of shock.”
“She looked at the ring and asked if it was real,” Stephen laughs. “The next thing I knew, people were screaming from inside the house. All of our family was inside waiting, it was awesome!”
The newlyweds married July 30, 2011, and moved into their new home in May. “It was great to be settled in before the wedding,” Ayesha says. “Plus, we had plenty of room for our wedding party to stay with us.”
Read more here:
Congratulation to Stephen and Ayesha!
1st, 3rd Photo Credit: Kristin Vining Photography/Charlotteobserver
2nd Photo Credit: Stephen Curry
