Stephen Curry is well-known for taking and making some of the wildest shots in the game. But the one that would go down as the most significant wasn’t from the three-point line or in overtime of a playoff game. It was the shot he took before he even entered the NBA, sliding into Ayesha’s Facebook messages with what might be the smoothest pickup line in basketball history.
Curry’s relationship with Ayesha Curry started with that message. Married for 14 years now, Ayesha revealed how Curry’s determination on and off the court played a crucial role in their love story during a recent “Call Her Daddy” podcast appearance.
How Did Stephen Curry Turn a Facebook Message Into Forever with Ayesha Curry?
While Ayesha was born in Toronto, her family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when she was 14. Curry also lived in Toronto during his father Dell Curry’s tenure with the Toronto Raptors, but the family returned to Charlotte in 2002, after Dell’s retirement.
Ayesha shared that Curry was one of the first friends she made in the country. However, their romance didn’t begin until she moved away from Charlotte and headed to Los Angeles to pursue her acting career.
Ayesha Curry on the first time Steph Curry ever messaged her 😂
(via @callherdaddy, h/t @warriorsworld) @ayeshacurry @StephenCurry30
pic.twitter.com/sda1R3RUef— NBA NATION 🏀 (@_HoopsNation) August 20, 2025
The initial message wasn’t exactly what you’d expect from a future NBA superstar. “When I moved to LA, he Facebooked me….He was like, ‘Hey, do you still live in LA?’ Uh, that’s a lie,” Ayesha said while smiling. “The first message was, I was in this music video, and he was like, ‘Hey, who is that in the in the music video in the picture that you’re in?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, it’s Young Berg.’ And he goes, ‘Oh, I should have known. He always has all the sexy ladies.’ And I was like, ‘What is happening right now?'”
The two families attended the same church in Charlotte, creating a connection that went beyond teenage crushes. While Curry’s basketball stardom brought him plenty of popularity around their church community, it wasn’t what initially stood out about him to Ayesha. Instead, it was his personality and persistence that caught her attention.
“At this time now, we’re 19. Okay. 18, 19. And so he goes, ‘Do you still live in LA? I’m here for a camp. Do you want to hang out?’ And I’m like freaking out cuz this guy, he was like the guy at church. Like all the girls loved him,” said Ayesha.
Although Ayesha was excited about the prospect of seeing Curry, she faced the reality of life as a struggling actress in Los Angeles. Money was tight, and she couldn’t afford to travel all the way to Anaheim, where he was staying for his basketball camp. That’s when Curry’s legendary persistence kicked in.
“So we made plans to hang out, and then I said, ‘Where are you staying?’ he said Anaheim. And I was like, I still have other jobs, like trying to pay the rent, and gas is expensive. So I was like, I’m sorry I can’t this time, but if you’re ever back, let me know and we’ll go hang out,” Ayesha shared. “And he’s like, ‘Oh, I’m back in 2 weeks’…. So he stuck with it. He hit me up two weeks later. We hung out, and we’ve literally been together since that day.”
That determination to make the relationship work has defined their partnership ever since. Two weeks later, Curry returned to Los Angeles, and their first official hangout session turned into the beginning of a lifelong love story.
Their 2011 wedding brought everything full circle. The couple exchanged vows in the very church where they first met as teenagers in Charlotte. While Curry might treasure his championship rings and MVP awards, his wedding ring represents the victory that started it all: convincing Ayesha to give him a chance through a Facebook message and two weeks of patience.
