Stephen Ellison

Community Mourns Death of High School Basketball Player

Homestead High remembers Kim Nuestro as huge Warriors fan and gets Steph Curry to contribute to her memorial

A South Bay community has been in mourning this week after a high school girls basketball player collapsed and died during a game last weekend.

Kimberly Nuestro, 16, was a rising star on the junior varsity team at Homestead High School in Cupertino. She collapsed while playing in a tournament in Santa Clara and later died at a hospital. The cause of her death is not yet known.

Kimberly was remembered as a huge Golden State Warriors fan, and a social media tribute to the teen included many students urging Warriors star Steph Curry to sign her shoes. On Monday, Homestead High students wore Warriors blue and gold, and Kim's father started the hashtag #SignForHer on Twitter. It quickly started trending, as thousands retweeted the plea.

Many students said having Curry sign her shoes would have been a dream come true for the teen.

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Homestead High
Steph Curry honored Kim Nuestro by signing her basketball shoes.

"It was nice to see, even though it was a sad occasion," Homestead Principal Greg Giglio said. "It brought people some joy and comfort to know everyone was thinking about it and participating."

And it worked. On Tuesday, Kim's father Ramir shared a photo of his daughter's shoes and a Warriors jersey signed by Curry. In the caption, he thanked Curry and included a new hashtag: #WeCanDoAllThings.

Curry also spoke with a reporter from the campus newspaper.

"It’s a small token for her family to know there’s a lot of people thinking about them and what they’re going through," Curry told the newspaper. "Hopefully, (we) honor her life with those shoes."

The interview offered a little boost to the heartbroken Homestead community.

"He cares about people who love the game," said Lindsey Takahashi. "That’s what Kim loved."

Student Allison Hampton added: "It might have been a small thing for him, but it was a really big thing for her and her family. I thought that was really great."

Officials say they’re awaiting an autopsy to determine why Kim died. Students are planning a candlelight vigil for the teen sometime next week.

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