People from all around the world put aside their problems and grievances to come together in the name of sports. But while that passion can be a beautiful thing, fans can also be extremely toxic. NBA superstars understand this duality of fans extremely well.
Advertisement
One day, you can be the most beloved player in the world. However, after one bad game, people on social media may throw a barrage of heinous insults. Unfortunately, that hate often spills into a player’s personal life. Just ask Stephen Curry and his wife, Ayesha.
At this point in their life, the couple has learned how to navigate through the hate. Ayesha handles the pressure with incredible poise. The renowned chef acknowledges that being married to Steph has bestowed her with some serious privileges.
“Parts of it have afforded me doors to be open,” Ayesha said on the Call Her Daddy podcast. “I obviously have to walk through them and then put in the work to stay in the room. I’m grateful for that side of things.” However, it would be impossible for her to simply ignore the dark side of that fame.
“I, in the beginning, hated it so much,” Ayesha revealed. “Sports fans are so different than entertainment fans. And oftentimes, it’s very ruthless,” she added. Steph being one of the biggest players in the league and a heartthrob on top of that has led Ayesha to encounter some unwarranted fan experiences.
One encounter in particular left a scar on Ayesha’s heart, which remains to this day.
“I remember one time, after my first was born, she was whiny, so I was like, let me nurse her in the back seat. Stephen was putting a bike or something in the trunk. This woman opens the car door, she sticks her head in and is like, ‘I just wanted to see the baby,'” Ayesha revealed.
The story at this point alone is already unbelievable, but it only gets worse. “I’m like, ‘Excuse me?'” Ayesha said, adding, “She looks me dead in my face and goes, ‘Oh, honey, you know what you signed up for.'”
At the end of the day, celebrity or not, every human deserves basic decency. But fans like this one simply ignore personal boundaries. “I was just bawling my eyes out. Is this what it’s going to be like?” Ayesha asked herself at the time.
Ayesha and Steph have since learned how to balance their life to accommodate fans. It wasn’t an easy path, but a much-needed one and thankfully, the chef is much better adjusted than before.
