The Golden State Warriors’ two-time NBA MVP, Stephen Curry, was in Washington, D.C., on Monday (August 19) to formally announce he is sponsoring the creation of men’s and women’s golf teams at Howard University. 

Curry, an avid golfer, will make a seven-figure donation paid out over the next six years. The goal is to allow Howard to put infrastructure and development professionals in place to raise an endowed fund that would make the program self-sustainable.

This isn’t the first time golf will be a part of Howard Athletics. According to university officials, Howard fielded a Division II team for decades, which was discontinued in the 1970s. 

The decision for Curry to do this didn’t come out of thin air. 

Back in January, Curry had a chance meeting with a young Howard student, Otis Ferguson, who is also an avid golfer. 

Curry learned Ferguson had an opportunity to play collegiate golf, but passed on it to attend an HBCU. In comments made to the Washington Post about that meeting, Curry said:

“To hear somebody as passionate about the game as I was, all the while still pursuing their education at Howard … impacted me.”

Golf is an extremely expensive sport to maintain and participate in, but Curry doesn’t believe that should be an impediment to kids discovering themselves, saying:

“No matter where you come from or what socioeconomic background you had, we all were that kid once upon a time that was just excited about finding out who they were as a person through athletics.”

Of course, Curry is no stranger to golf in the D.C. area. He has played many rounds with President Barack Obama and was asked if he expects the former president to attend any of Howard’s golf matches. Curry said, via TMZ:

"Oh, for sure. For sure. He can get his own presidential cart and chase them around!"

The program will launch in time for the 2020-21 season. 

The Bison teams will have a coach and three scholarship athletes, two women and one man. 

The teams will be outfitted by Under Armour, Curry’s shoe sponsor, and play with equipment provided by Callaway Golf. 

University officials are still determining the best places for the golf teams to practice and play. That should be decided within the next year. 

For now, Howard President Wayne A.I. Frederick is appreciating the moment and significance of this gift from Curry, saying:

“It’s significant. That’s the argument I’ve been trying to make since I assumed the presidency … this is one of America’s best investments. HBCUs, the return on the investment has been incredible for the country. [Curry] has celebrity but I hope that what people will get out of this story is his integrity, his purpose, his motivation behind doing these things.”