As Ayesha and Steph Curry are celebrating another year of love, ET looks back on their journey from sweethearts to a family of six.
Stephen and Ayesha Curry have a romance that has evolved over two decades. From a chance meeting when they were teens to marriage and becoming a family of six, the power couple has proven that they have a love story for the ages.
The multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and her NBA superstar husband have been married since 2011. The pair, who met in high school, are parents to Riley, 11, Ryan, 8, and Cannon, 5, and recently announced that they've welcomed their fourth child.
Son Caius Chai joined the family on May 11, 2024.
"Our sweet baby boy decided to make an early arrival!!" the Golden State Warriors point guard and Irish Wish star announced on Instagram. "He's doing great and we are finally settling in at home as a family of 6! So grateful!"
Thirteen years of marriage later, the pair are still a strong team!
Keep reading for a rundown of Ayesha and Step's longtime relationship, from their first meeting to their latest news.
Early 2000s: A chance first meeting
The couple first met one another while at a church youth group in Charlotte, North Carolina, when Ayesha was 14 and Steph was 15.
"We were just kids," Ayesha told People of their friendship at the time. "He was the cute boy at church that all of the girls were obsessed with, so I made a generalization that maybe he wasn't for me."
"I don't remember the exact first day I saw her," Stephen added, joking, "There was no wind blowing in her face with a backlight."
Although Steph talks a big game, it's obvious that Ayesha made an impression on the young basketball player. In the biography, The Miraculous Rise of Steph Curry, Steph's sister, Sydel Curry, mentions that Ayesha would often talk to him after church. "That's how she would flirt with him in a way," she said. "He clearly liked it. It left an impression."
2008: Reconnection and romance
The pair reconnected after Ayesha moved to Los Angeles to try her hand at modeling and acting. They ran into each other when Steph, who was playing basketball for Davidson College in North Carolina, was in L.A. for the ESPYs, where he would later accept the award for Breakout Athlete.
"I didn't know what the ESPYs were," Ayesha told People. She confessed that she had a "no athletes" policy when it came to dating. "My parents found this paper from my high school theater class where you had to write down what you wanted in a significant other. At the bottom, it said, 'No athletes because they're arrogant.'"
Luckily for Steph, the aspiring model gave him some leniency -- after needing a moment to think about it. Steph reached out to ask Ayesha on a date via Facebook, and although she turned him down at first, they eventually agreed to meet up.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2019, Ayesha recalled that their first date was on Hollywood Boulevard, where she picked him up in her "98 Astro van." They visited Madame Tussauds and drank chai lattes, finishing the night with a memorable first kiss.
"He had on 3XL shorts, so that's a sign of the times. It was our first official date," the mom of three detailed.
Recounting the pair's first kiss to the New York Post, Ayesha recalled, "He was mid-conversation and came flying at my face like a thief in the night. So I was, like, 'No.' Then I thought, 'Oh, I didn't know this is what was happening.'"
Ayesha previously told ET about the beginnings of their relationship.
"Having that friendship first is so important, that foundation of communication and openness and being able to talk to each other and come to each other with whatever it is that's going on," she said. "I feel like the second that you forget to stop and take the time to communicate and look each other in the eyes and have that time together and be silly together and laugh, that's when you lose it, so it's always important to keep that fire going in order to have a healthy relationship."
Once the couple had officially kicked off their relationship, all bets were off. It was that same year that Ayesha confessed she was serious about the soon-to-be NBA champion.
"I told him I loved him first and he said, 'I feel like I love you too, but I don't want to say it unless I'm sure because I just want to be sure that when I say it, I really mean it,'" she previously told People. "I got in my car and drove home crying."
It was a few months after her confession that Steph responded in kind. "We were watching a movie, and he turned to my ear, and he said, 'I love you,'" Ayesha recalled. "Mind you, my parents were sitting right there. His parents were sitting right there. Our siblings were sitting right there. I was trying to sit and watch the movie, but I was freaking out. It was so special because I knew he meant it."
2010 - 2011: A proposal to remember and the beginning of forever
Steph shared the details of his proposal in an interview with Parents, revealing that he acted like he and Ayesha were attending a family cookout to set the stage.
"So we pulled up to the house and I stopped in the middle of the driveway, got down on my knee and went into my spiel," he shared. "Little did I know the whole family was looking out the window."
Ayesha also spoke to the Charlotte Observer about the sweet moment. "He asked me if I knew where we were standing. It was [in the driveway of my parents house]," she said. "He pulled me close and started saying all these sweet things and then dropped down on one knee. I was in a state of shock."
A year later, at 22 and 23 years old, Ayesha and Steph tied the knot on July 30, 2011, at the same North Carolina church they had met nine years prior. The sweethearts got hitched with approximately 400 of their nearest and dearest in attendance.
2012 - 2018: Three babies make five
Ayesha and Steph went from newlyweds to parents of three over a six-year span. The couple welcomed their first child, their eldest daughter Riley Elizabeth, on July 19, 2012, almost a year after they got married.
Three years later, the couple announced the arrival of their second baby girl, Ryan Carson.
In September 2016, Steph became the NBA's first unanimous Most Valuable Player. While receiving the award, the NBA superstar gave a speech that gushed about how much his wife and partner meant to him.
"None of this is possible without you," he said during a press conference per People. "You've given me the opportunity to go out here and work as hard as I do, spend the hours I need to do at the gym, during practice, in games, on the road--all the while holding down the house and doing the little things that keep our family going."
"You've given our two daughters an example to look up to as they grow up," he continued. "I don't take that for granted at all. It's definitely special to watch you do what you do every single day--the strength that you have, the patience that you have."
In 2017, Ayesha opened up about the couple juggling their careers and family life. At the time, the mom of two shared her thoughts about their reputation as the embodiment of "#CoupleGoals."
"I think it's funny when people say that because it's just funny, what does that actually mean?" she mused. "I get it, and we're proud to take that in a sense because pretty much what you see is what you're going to get and I think that's oftentimes rare these days, so it is nice that that's the case. I feel pretty confident that we can uphold people's hopes but it is still weird to see that all the time."
With such demanding careers, Ayesha offered a positive perspective on how the couple balances their busy schedules.
"At this point in our relationship and in our marriage, those two days when he's away [playing basketball] are actually kind of nice now, and I'm sure a lot of women can relate," she shared. "Being able to sprawl out on the bed and wear my face mask and put my hair up in my bonnet, honestly it's nice to have those moments sometimes."
In February 2018, Ayesha announced her third pregnancy with a photo of herself wearing a T-shirt that read, "Preggers," on Instagram.
Ayesha's third pregnancy journey wasn't smooth sailing. In April, right around the time she entered her third trimester, she revealed that she'd already been hospitalized multiple times. After such a challenging pregnancy, the then-29-year-old celebrity chef announced the birth of the couple's first boy, Canon W. Jack, in July 2018.
ET spoke with Ayesha a few months later, where she opened up about the family's home life with their new addition.
"I'm balancing everything. It’s been crazy, but I like to call it beautiful chaos," Ayesha shared. "He’s three and a half, almost four months now and he’s thriving. He's finally getting a little chub on him, so I'm really happy. It's crazy having a boy though. It’s so different from having my two girls. Totally different vibes in the house. We finally got a little more testosterone."
As far as taking some time for date nights with her NBA star husband, Ayesha said that they definitely make an effort to do so. "That’s how we maintain a good marriage, is making sure that we put the relationship first, because when our relationship is happy and thriving, the kids are too," she said.
2019: Kicking off a legacy
In July 2019, the couple launched their Eat.Learn.Play. Foundation, utilizing their platforms to create a nonprofit organization fighting hunger, access to quality education, and providing children with a safe space to be active and engage with their communities.
According to the foundation's website, their mission is to "support children's wellbeing through access to nutritious meals, quality reading resources and opportunities to play and be active because everyone deserves the chance to live a happy, healthy childhood."
The site also says it focuses on "three vital pillars of a healthy childhood: nutrition, literacy, and physical activity. Our investments meet kids where they are most often - in school, at home, and in their community."
That same month, the couple celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary.
2021: A decade into forever
During a May 2021 appearance on The Skimm's podcast, 9 to 5ish, Ayesha reflected on needing to take some time for herself early on in her marriage to truly figure out who she was. "It was a very emotional decision," she said at the time. "And I did it ... and found out we were having a baby, which wasn't in the plans quite yet."
Ayesha shared that she felt like she was being pulled in different directions that she wanted to try to make cohesive. "What I started to realize was that I was becoming this woman at such a young age when other people would still potentially be in college or just figuring out who they want to be," she recalled. "I always had this feeling of, like, I think that there's a double duty that I could be playing here."
She added, "I was, like, 'I have hopes and dreams for myself and there's gotta be a way to do both.'"
And do both they have! On July 30, 2021, the couple celebrated 10 glorious years of marriage with an intimate vow renewal ceremony officiated by their daughter, Riley, Ayesha revealed on Instagram.
The sweet post features a photo of the then-9-year-old proudly standing under an arch in the family's backyard, with Steph and Ayesha standing across from one another. The couple's two younger children adorably sit on a blanket watching their parents say "I do" again.
"A couple of weeks ago @stephencurry30 surprised me with the most beautiful vow renewal ceremony. He even picked out my dress for me and had it waiting 😭," Ayesha wrote in her caption. "Our big girl Riley officiated and Ryan and Canon walked me through the grass of our backyard. It’s everything I’ve always dreamed of but didn’t know could be possible in this way. A moment I will never forget. I love you @stephencurry30 ."
"Never a day goes by I'm not thankful for your presence, your beauty, your spirit!" Steph captioned a collage of photos that seemingly came from the couple's milestone celebration in Antares. "Sexy as can be inside and out and continuing to show me how amazing our God is by the creation that you are. Blessed me with the three of the dopest humans around. You are the key to everything that I do," he wrote, concluding, "This is a major milestone — but more a moment to get excited about the next chapters ahead. Lucky I'm (still) in love with my best friend."
Ayesha also called the athlete her best friend in her post, writing, "My love! My adventure partner! My best friend! My confidant! My baby daddaaaay! My everything! 10 years married, y'all."
She added, "It has felt like the blink of an eye. @stephencurry30 is by far, hands down the most amazing being I know. I can't wait to see what the next 50 has in store for us. Happy day, happy day!"
Before the couple's 10-year wedding anniversary, Ayesha had opened up to ET about how she and Steph had "grown up together" through the course of their relationship.
"We're celebrating our 10-year wedding anniversary this summer, so like -- we've grown up together, in every sense of the word," Ayesha said ET at the time. "My support is his support, vice versa. It's like we hold each other up. We hold each other accountable. And when when I have those days where I feel like I want to give up, he is always there to be like, 'Nope! Put on your clothes.'"
"We said in the pandemic, you really learn if you like somebody or not," she added. "I said, 'Ooh, we really like each other. This is good.' We've done a lot, obviously, of date nights in and we've had new ways to reinvent date night. For us it’s very important just as a time to reconnect."
In August 2021, Ayesha and Steph launched the Curry Family Women's Athletic Initiative at the latter's alma mater, Davidson College. The initiative is meant to empower young women in sports through financial assistance, mentorships, career opportunities and outreach to the community.
"The reason I am who I am today is also because of strong, powerful women that have poured into my life all these years," he said in a video, noting the initiative "hits home" because of his daughters. "Now, as the father of two girls, I want them to grow up without any boundaries on their futures."
In December 2021, Steph made history when he set the NBA record for the most career 3-point shots of all time -- a record previously held by Ray Allen. The star athlete's proud wife wrote a touching post dedicated to her love to celebrate the occasion.
"2974 and counting. Congrats my baby. I love you so much! You did that," Ayesha gushed in a caption for a video post featuring a montage of Steph talking about his career accomplishments. "To God be the glory. I’m so proud of ya @stephencurry30."
2022: A new venture and momentous celebrations
Steph and Ayesha embarked on an entirely new venture together with the premiere of their game show, About Last Night, on Max in February 2022. The couple, who not only host the show but serve as producers on the project, told ET that they jumped on the chance to work together.
"We've always wanted to do a project together; we also love date nights! And so, when this project came along to do a Tattletales reboot, we jumped on it, because it meshed the two together, it was perfect," Ayesha explained of the series which puts a modern spin on the popular couples' game show of the '70s and '80s.
Then, in July, the duo was joined by their daughters on the red carpet for a stunning photo op at the 2022 ESPYs.
For his part, Steph celebrated three major milestones in his life that year. In May, the then-34-year-old basketball star earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology degree from Davidson College, where he originally attended from 2006 to 2009, and received his diploma 13 years after he first entered the NBA.
Ayesha gushed over her husband's latest achievement in an Instagram Story. "Proud would be an understatement! Congratulations my love," she wrote. "YOU DID IT!"
The NBA star was also honored for his athletic excellence as Davidson inducted him into their Athletics Hall of Fame and retired his number 30 jersey, becoming the first player to have their jersey retired at the college.
In December, Steph was honored with the Sports Illustrated 2022 Sportsperson of the Year award, and he stepped out in style with Ayesha on the red carpet.
In his acceptance speech, Steph thanked Ayesha for her unwavering support over the years.
"Nothing you do is without an amazing woman behind you. You are the backbone of our family," he said. "I wouldn't want to share this life with anybody else. I love you."
2023: Over a decade of joyous love
On July 31, Ayesha and Steph took to Instagram to share photos from their 12th wedding anniversary celebrations while on vacation in Italy.
The NBA star posted photos of the couple lounging on boat decks and posing in front of scenic beaches, with a heartwarming love note penned for Ayesha in his caption.
"My Woman. I Love you more than you know. I'm thankful for every experience we have shared together. The highs, the lows, the ways life has brought us closer together through it all," the Golden State Warriors star said. "God continues to bless us. You have brought me so much joy and happiness from day 1."
He continued, "Let's keep going. More! I love you!" before adding "July 30, 2011 ➡️ July 30, 2023."
In Ayesha's celebratory post, the Domaine Curry owner included more boat pictures and a snap of the couple's massive breakfast arrangement.
"It's our anniversary! 12 years of being married to my best friend and love of my life. 15 years of dates and making memories. So much more to go," she captioned her post. "I love this man so much!!! Feeling blessed beyond measure," she wrote before adding: "okay back to celebrating."
Speaking with ET when they returned, Ayesha shared her advice for maintaining a relationship with ET. The mom of three had one word of advice: "Communication."
"I'm not gonna sit here and say don’t go to bed mad, that's ridiculous," the cookbook author said while attending the CFDA Awards on Monday in New York City. "No, it's communication. Always date each other, like, keep it simple."
2024: A new addition
On March 1, Ayesha announced that she and Steph were expecting their fourth child by starring on the cover of Sweet July Magazine's first digital issue -- a publication born from her blossoming skincare line, Sweet July Skin -- with a gorgeous belly-baring shot.
In the interview for Sweet July Magazine's "Village Issue," Ayesha shared that although she and Steph "thought we were done" after welcoming their third child, the couple decided they wanted a fourth "last year."
"For me, the decision came from always finding myself looking around and feeling like somebody was missing. I would load up the car and think, 'Oh, I forgot something.' But nobody was forgotten," Ayesha said. "It started to turn my brain a little bit. Maybe somebody was missing. So we set out on this journey, knowing that this would complete our family."
She also explained that her fourth pregnancy is markedly different from her previous three, noting that juggling her older children, various ventures and the fullness of managing five daily lives made her realize how she was "tremendously busy in ways I wasn't before."
"I'm also realizing how quickly time has gone by with our first three children, who are now self-sufficient and don't need as much from us," Ayesha noted, sharing how her youngest has a vested interest in her pregnancy. "Getting to experience this through his eyes and through Ryan and Riley's eyes has been so cool. They're at such different ages and stages in life. Their perspectives are so different and it's been the most exciting thing."
"But one of the biggest differences is a new understanding that this really does pass by in the blink of an eye. And in the blink of an eye, it could also all be taken away. That’s encouraged me to slow down and take in every single little thing—especially with it being my last pregnancy," she added.
Ayesha also recently spoke to ET about her fourth pregnancy.
"Interestingly enough, I love being a little bit older and having this experience," Ayesha told ET. "I feel like there's so much more gratitude that I'm experiencing and just every little thing is so special. I'm just in a space mentally where I'm more appreciative, and so it's just been [an] entirely different experience."
In May, Steph and Ayesha announced the birth of their youngest child, son Caius Chai.
July 2024: Lucky No. 13
On July 31, Ayesha and Steph marked their 13th wedding anniversary. While the NBA star was in Paris competing with the Men's Basketball team, that didn't stop him from hopping online and penning a sweet message to his wife.
"13 years in and still loving every minute of it my woman! @ayeshacurry July 30, 2011," he wrote alongside a series of sweet pics featuring him and Ayesha. Steph's post ended with a sweet shot of them together on their wedding day.
Ayesha couldn't let her man run point on the social media love fest! On her respective Instagram, the mother of four wrote up a tribute of her own, alongside a carousel of endearing pictures of her and her her husband.
"13 years of being married to the love of my life. I am so excited to see what the next decade brings. 4 babies, 16 years together and a whole lot of memories later and here we are… lucky 13. It just gets better and better. Let’s freaking go!!!!!!," she wrote.
Watch the video below for more on the Currys' growing family.
RELATED CONTENT:
