Professional Basketball And The BibleSample

“Stephen Curry Highlights Bible Verses Through Shoes, Tattoo”

While playing college basketball at Davidson College, Stephen Curry routinely used a marker to write “Phil 4:13,” a reference to an iconic New Testament verse, on his game day shoes. 

“I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)

“It's always been one of my favorite Bible verses,” Curry told the media during an NCAA Tournament practice day. “I realize that what I do on the floor isn't a measure of my own strength. Having that there keeps me focused on the game, a constant reminder of who I'm playing for."

After his junior season at Davidson, Curry elected to leave school a year early to enter the 2009 NBA Draft where the Golden State Warriors selected him with the seventh overall pick. The rest has been history, as he has become known as much more than just Dell Curry’s son but rather one of the NBA’s greatest shooters ever. He was named league MVP in 2015 and 2016 and led the Warriors to a championship in 2015. Curry also set a new NBA record for most three-point shots made in a season with 402.

And as his fame has increased, Curry continues to share that favorite verse on his shoes—now thanks to a special design on his signature Under Armour brand kicks that feature “4:13” and “I can do all things” at the bottom of the tongues.

“It’s also my mantra, how I get up for games and why I play the way I do,” he told the media at an event to introduce the shoes. “You don’t want to scare people away with this idea that I’m perfect or that you have to be perfect to find that calling. It means a lot to be able to spread that message, whether that’s what you believe or whether it helps you find whatever it is that motivates you to do all things. Every time you put on the shoe, it’s a good reminder of what’s possible.”

That’s not the only Bible verse Curry has been known to sport. In fact, he and wife Ayesha have matching tattoos on their wrists that say, “love never fails” in Hebrew, which pays ode to their favorite verse as a couple and is part of a larger passage found in 1 Corinthians 13 often referred to as the love chapter and commonly quoted at weddings.

“This signifies the past is behind us and the future is in front of us,” Curry explained to Parents magazine, “so we stay in the middle, in the moment.”