A tragic endorsement by a beloved athlete

Stephen Curry, the superstar who has led the Golden State Warriors to four NBA championships, just might be the best shooter in pro basketball history. His style of play has revolutionized the game, spawning a generation of players who shoot long three-point shots with a super quick release. His work ethic and dedication to the game are unrivaled, even as he nears the end of a first-ballot, Hall of Fame career. Steph Curry is a joy to watch play, and he has carried himself with class and grace off the court, a faithful husband and father and a person of Christian faith.

This is why it is admittedly difficult and dispiriting for this longtime NBA fan to write of my profound disappointment over Curry’s recent foray into presidential politics. He appeared in an endorsement video at last month’s Democratic National Convention, urging his fans to register and vote for Vice President Kamala Harris, based on her ability, in his words, to “bring unity.”

In one sense, Curry’s engagement in the political process should not be considered abnormal. Athletes have endorsed politicians in every election in the modern era. Some from the world of sports, like Jack Kemp, Steve Largent, Bill Bradley, J.C. Watts, Tommy Tuberville, and Heath Shuler, have even run for office. Republicans have also boasted endorsements from athletes in this cycle, including former stars Darryl Strawberry, Lawrence Taylor, Mariano Rivera, Jack Nicklaus, and John Daly.

It’s less common, however, for athletes in the prime of their playing career to endorse and risk alienating fans, but it’s not unprecedented. NBA star LeBron James has frequently endorsed the Democratic ticket. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker has been outspoken in supporting former President Donald Trump. His teammate Patrick Mahomes has caught some flak for seemingly supportive comments his wife made about Trump’s policy ideas.

Athletes are citizens just like the rest of us, and they have a right to express their views and vote their values. But what makes Curry’s endorsement of Harris so disappointing is not the exercise of his citizenship but the reasons this self-professed evangelical Christian is making for his support.

When asked by a journalist for CNBC what issues will cause him to pull the lever for the vice president, he mentioned women’s rights, adding, “We need to be in a position where women have the right to choose what’s right for them. And that’s at the top of the list for me.”

At the top of Curry’s list? Abortion on demand. That’s right, he’s using his platform to encourage his fans to vote for the Democratic ticket not in spite of but because of its radical beliefs on abortion. Sadly, this Christian superstar athlete, gifted in so many ways, has been shaped by an ethic that says the taking of unborn life is not only a social good but something that must be protected.

To be sure, the Republican Party has been shaky in its articulation of the sanctity of life in recent months, and Trump hasn’t exactly been a vocal champion for the cause in this run for the White House. But there is no comparison in terms of scale between a party that expresses less pro-life views and one that resists any restrictions on abortion. Even Planned Parenthood offered the procedure for free outside the Democratic National Convention.

Nobody expects him to be a Republican or endorse Trump. But Curry, who has been outspoken about his faith in Christ and has appeared at many evangelical gatherings, has an opportunity, with his platform, to articulate why the baby in the womb—knit together with care by God according to Psalm 139—is precious. Instead, he’s been taken captive by the Darwinian moral ethic of the age that sees unborn life as inconvenient and less than human.

What’s ironic about Curry’s pro-abortion activism is it goes against the beliefs of his mother. Sonya Curry shared, in a recent memoir, that she nearly aborted Steph and is now committed to the pro-life cause. Had she subscribed then to the beliefs her son now holds, the world would have been robbed of one of its greatest athletes.

Stephen Curry’s activism won’t keep me from watching him play when the NBA season starts up again. His selfless play, his unworldly exploits on the court, and his uncommon talent are a joy to see. But we should pray that this future Hall of Famer would return to the pro-life ethic of his mother and would be convicted by the words of the Bible he claims to believe, in which God declares to every unborn child, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you (Jeremiah 1:5).”