Under Armour and Stephen Curry invited the top basketball prospects in the U.S. to its eighth annual Curry Camp.
Curry Camp hosted an equal amount of male and female athletes in Menlo Park, San Francisco, Aug. 3-6, to participate in the elite training program. The Golden State Warrior point guard intentionally picked each of the boys and girls to mentor and teach the development skills of basketball. This marks the camp’s second annual year of having an equal amount of both male and female players.
Curry and No. 3 prospect and Curry Camp trainee Jaloni Cambridge spoke with BlavityU and discussed the teachings both on and off the court, the future of Curry Camp and more.
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When asked how each player was chosen, Curry explained having great talent is obvious but being able, driven and showing gratitude for the game.
“So we have a great staff that has an antenna up on the grassroots game and have known these kids from back when and got into the system. It’s a great point of reminding them, like, if you put the ball in a basket, that’s amazing but, we want to find the most talented young men and women who love the game and have separated themselves skill-wise,” he said.
“Obviously, you have to develop a work ethic. You have to develop a sense of gratitude and appreciation for what the game has provided,” he added. “And so there’s like a criteria around who’s approaching things the right way. Like we’re trying to build true student-athletes, true professionals. It’s not just about, yeah, we want the five-star recruits. It doesn’t just end there.”
The camp featured 1:1 hands-on training, group training, developmental skill and mentorship on and off the court from the NBA player, alongside his hand-selected NBA Peers, whom he picks based on “energy,” his trainers and coaches.
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Curry explained the immense planning that goes into the camp training curriculum with the help of his trainers.
“It’s more so who’s bringing the right energy, who gets it — in terms of why this camp exists and why I feel like it’s a good, impactful moment for these young campers to just be in a gym where people are there just for them and can kind of instill the right perspective on how to approach the game,” he said.
“I got to develop a curriculum with my trainers around the drills that we’re putting them through and all that, which is a huge part of it,” he added. “But I just want people [coaches and NBA players] with the right energy on making sure the kids feel supported and can meet them on that level,” he added.
Cambridge is a native Nashvillian and Under Armor Circuit player who says basketball is her first love. The 17-year-old says the journey of basketball is hard work and explains that not many individuals are cut out for it. Fortunately for Cambridge, she has been trained by several coaches, including former WNBA player Tamera Ty Young and Curry, who have served as examples of dedication to the game.
When asked what she has learned from the NBA point guard while training over the weekend, she revealed that Curry just wants to help them get to their greatest potential.
“Earlier today, we were doing a shooting drill, and he saw something that I needed to fix. He came up to me, and we talked, and I fixed it, and he was like, ‘Good job, Lonnie.’ That’s real. All he wants to do is help,” she explained
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In collaboration with the two athletic brands, JPMorgan Chase powered a financial literacy course in preparation for future NIL deals and campaign opportunities. According to UnderArmour, 60-65% of players face bankruptcy within the first five years of departing the NBA. Some of the female hoopers in attendance include Deniya Prawl, Jazzy Davidson and Jaloni Cambridge. The male hoopers were Bryson Tucker, Cooper Flagg and Ace Bailey.
Living by his camp’s slogan, “change the game for good,” Curry Camp extends its impact beyond the court. Middle schoolers in Oakland were gifted Under Armour and Curry Brand gear and participated in drills and games.
“We’ve been able to do court refurbishments and make sure kids have places to go to experience basketball, sports, find community. It’s great for character development and all that stuff,” he explained. “We’re doing our foundation as well. It’s about just overall sports participation. I think a lot of kids are getting left, especially in the middle school age range where they don’t have the right resources, the right coaching, the right equipment, the right locations to go play.”
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“Sports participation is down as a whole around the country, especially here in Oakland. And so, hopefully, we can change that because I know not everybody’s going to be a professional in the game, but we all know sports teach you so much about yourself, builds confidence, it builds the right character traits that you need to be successful pretty much in any area of life,” Curry continued.
“We’re trying to fill that gap in terms of resources that are dedicated to keeping kids in sports for a lot longer so that it allows them to again reach their full potential, not even if it’s in a professional manner, making money, playing basketball, playing sports in general,” he said.
