Marcus Kirkland’s school-aged basketball players were perplexed, agitated, and perplexed as to why he invited them to Lifetime Fitness in Folsom (Sacramento County) on Saturday night when he failed to inform them that Stephen Curry would be playing in the pickup games he had planned.

Warriors’ Steph Curry surprises in visit to California pickup game

To support his decision, the trainer and coach said the following: “If he doesn’t show up, how do I look?”

Curry should be allowed to assuage any anxieties.

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Video: Steph Curry participates in a Folsom, California, pickup basketball game | Sacramento Bee

After spending over two hours Saturday at his daughter’s volleyball tournament in nearby Roseville, the Golden State Warriors guard—and former Warriors teammate and friend Kent Bazemore—joined Kirkland and other top recreational players from the area in playing game after game.

Curry thanked the crowd after the game, posed for photos, and signed autographs for the dispersed supporters.

Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors’ star, was seen shooting baskets at a gym in Folsom, according to CBS Sacramento.

Everything about Kirkland’s surprise was just on.

Berry Roseborough, 25, a basketball trainer and coach who played with Curry on Saturday, stated, “I feel like it allowed everybody to see he’s human.” “He’s a really modest guy. The most essential thing was to recognise him for who he is: treating everyone in the building with dignity.

For the past “four or five” years, Kirkland, 32, has been organising pickup games under his basketball banner, StriveAboveOthers, with the purpose of integrating the basketball communities of Sacramento and nearby areas. Participants are often a mix of local high school and college athletes, as well as professionals with ties to the area or who have previously played collegiate sports.

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Warriors’ Steph Curry surprises California pickup game

In the past, there have been renowned figures such as Bazemore, whom Kirkland befriended at Lifetime in 2022 after getting cut from the Kings’ training camp, Jordan Ford, a Stockton Kings guard, and former King Ben McLemore.

Bazemore introduced Kirkland to Curry, who agreed to play one of his games as their friendship grew.

“All of his promises were fulfilled,” Kirkland stated. “The joy and worth that he brought to the city was immeasurable.”

Curry casually walked into the gym about an hour into play Saturday evening, clad in a grey sweatshirt and flanked by two bodyguards, sending a spike of energy through the building that lasted until play ended hours later.

Curry formed his fivesome after stretching on the sideline and taking off his hoodie, and they exchanged handshakes and introductions with everyone on the court. Security kept it from being too packed, but a gallery formed outside the gym.

“Instantly, the mood has changed from ‘OK, this is just light runs’ to ‘OK, Steph Curry is here, it’s time,'” said 21-year-old Eric French, a photographer, videographer, and Kirkland buddy who caught video of Curry playing Saturday that has since gone popular on social media.

“Everyone is going crazy as he’s making shots. His teammates are hyping him up. “Seeing him in that environment…was a really crazy experience.”

Curry’s teammates were understandably apprehensive, misfiring passes and forcing the ball into his hands. Curry, on the other hand, insisted on playing as a team, encouraging them as he attempted to create clean and open looks.

Of course, he got his buckets, too, eliciting yells from the sidelines whenever he sank a 3-pointer.

“He just treated it like it was another day at the open run. He was just playing the game and allowing us to play with him,” said Damarion Vann-Kelly, a 17-year-old combo guard and Division I prospect who graduated from Monterey Trail-Elk Grove this year and defended Curry.

Kirklаn also defended Curry after forcing a game point with a game-tying layout despite Bаzemоre’s urgings to divert his attention elsewhere. Kirklаn forced a feep miss in isolation, only for Curry’s teаmmаte to grab an offensive rebound, resulting in a rebound and a 3-pointer that would sink.

“Night Night,” Folsom.

Curry’s team did not lose any games, but everyone who played on Saturday won.