On July 14, 2026, at the ESPY Awards, Lonnie Ali walked onto the stage and placed the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award into the hands of Stephen Curry. For Athletes for Hope, that moment was more than a highlight reel. It was a full circle.
Muhammad Ali co-founded Athletes for Hope in 2006 alongside Mia Hamm, Andre Agassi, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and eight other legendary athletes. He believed — before it was common practice — that the platform sport gives you is meant for something bigger than trophies. Twenty years later, the award bearing his name went to the man leading the organization he helped build.
That’s not a coincidence. That’s a legacy.
What Steph Built in Oakland
Stephen Curry has led the AFH Athlete Leadership Council since the organization’s next generation of leadership took shape. And off the court, he and his wife Ayesha have spent seven years building the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation into one of the most impactful athlete-led philanthropic organizations in the country.
The numbers tell part of the story: 35 million meals provided, 1 million books distributed, and schools, gyms, and playgrounds transformed across Oakland. But Steph has always been clear that the work is about more than numbers.
“We’re only seven years in and the impact that we’ve had in Oakland has been real,” Curry said.
Real is the right word. Eat. Learn. Play. doesn’t write checks and walk away. It builds infrastructure — addressing food insecurity, educational access, and physical activity in a community that Steph has chosen to show up for, season after season.
Why This Award Hits Different
The Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award is the most prestigious sports humanitarian honor in the world. It recognizes athletes who have used their platforms to make extraordinary contributions to their communities. Past recipients represent the best of what sport can produce when athletes choose to lead beyond the game.
That Lonnie Ali personally presented this award to Steph — the leader of the organization Muhammad Ali co-founded — is a moment that speaks for itself.
At Athletes for Hope, we don’t just celebrate this win. We feel it. It represents everything our founders believed when they built this organization twenty years ago, and everything our Athlete Leadership Council carries forward today.
The Spirit We Celebrate Every Year
Every November, Athletes for Hope gathers at the Play for Good Gala to honor athletes who embody this same spirit — leaders who understand that the greatest play you will ever make is the one that outlasts the game.
This year, as AFH marks its 20th anniversary, Stephen Curry’s ESPY moment will be part of the story we tell. Because this is exactly what AFH was built for.
Congratulations, Steph. Muhammad Ali would be proud.
Learn more about the AFH Athlete Leadership Council and the Play for Good Gala at athletesforhope.org.
