Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, along with his wife Ayesha, will donate 50 million dollars to schools in Oakland, California.

Oakland is the city that the team left in 2019, after relocating to San Francisco but the place is not forgotten in the minds of Curry and his wife.

The couple made a significant donation to education in the city, that is found just across the world famous Golden Gate suspension bridge.

The ambition is to raise 50m dollars by 2026 for the Oakland Unified School District through Curry’s foundation, Eat. Learn. Play.

“It’s the fact that these are three very simple things in life that every child should have access to,” Ayesha Curry said to CBS, concerning food, reading material and relaxation opportunities.

“When you’re not afforded these things, it’s like ‘How can I even dream?’”

The Warriors star also spoke about the initiative.

“These kids deserve an opportunity to achieve their full potential,” Curry added.

“Especially those from the Black and Brown communities.”

Why did Golden State leave Oakland?
In 2019, the NBA franchise made the decision to cross the bay and head into the wealthy San Francisco city. The team had decided that it had outgrown Oakland.

Swapping the Oracle Arena for a new venue, Golden State moved into newly-built Chase Centre, where they are housed today.

The opportunities for higher ticket prices in the wealthier part of the Bay Area was a big motivation for the switch.

“Part of that plan from the beginning was to build a new arena,” Golden State’s owner, Rick Welts, told Forbes.

“That would allow the Warriors to compete at the highest levels economically for player talent and for fan experience in the NBA.”

Golden State became the first team to depart Oakland, but it would not be long before others followed suit.

First came the Oakland Raiders, who relocated to Nevada and became the Las Vegas Raiders, after the NFL franchise became dissatisfied with the quality of the Coliseum stadium.

And in 2023 it was announced that the MLB team, the Oakland Athletics, would also be departing for Las Vegas after pulling out of negotiations for a new stadium at the Howard Terminal site.