OAKLAND -- "Be the change."
That's Riley Morrison's favorite phrase on the sock liner she designed for Stephen Curry's new Curry 6 "United We Win" colorway. The liner features two girls and several other phrases including "Rock The Currys," "Girl Power," and "Girls Hoop Too."
Riley, 9, wrote to Curry back in November asking why his shoes didn't come in girls sizes. As she told NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday, she viewed it as "unfair" that there were no girls sizes.
Riley and her parents didn't expect a response, let alone the life-changing events that have happened since.
On Thursday, Riley and her family got to spend a little private time with the star Warriors point guard at his Under Armour pop-up shop in downtown Oakland. The purple "United We Win" shoes were displayed prominently in the store, and Riley had a brand new pair on her feet.
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"It was great meeting him today because I thought we were only doing an interview and then he surprised me," Riley told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I was really surprised."
Curry, in the middle of his 10th NBA season, took the time to write a hand-written letter in response to Riley, something the Napa native didn't see coming.
"I thought maybe they'd just change the problem [on the website]," Riley said.
Curry did more than that. In conjuntion with International Women's Day, a scholarship will be created and awarded annually to a "girl who is a catalyst for change," according to Riley's father Chris Morrison. The proceeds from the sales of the "United We Win" Curry 6's will fund the scholarship.
While Riley didn't expect Curry to respond, she had a lofty goal when she wrote the letter in November.
"I had all girls in mind," Riley said. "I was thinking that maybe I could change it for everybody, not only girls, but everybody that knows a girl that wants to wear his shoes."
Curry may be a mega celebrity, but Riley has become a big star in her own right. She didn't tell her friends at school right away, but when she finally did, it drew an interesting reaction.
"Some didn't believe me," Riley said. "Some people were really happy for me, some people wanted to meet Steph and some people even wanted my autograph."
Megan Lopez, Riley's mom, has been blown away by what she's seen from Curry.
"I think that when you meet someone that you think is really amazing and sometimes you're let down," Lopez said. "I just think that he's surpassed everything we thought. He really been gracious and over-the-top kind."
So, will Riley and Stephen be best friends forever?
"I hope so," Chris Morrison said. "When I was a kid, if I knew Michael Jordan was going to call and check in on me once a year or something like that, you might shoot it a little higher. So maybe it'll be a good little motivation, like when mom and dad are trying to get you motivated, 'Steph's gonna call and check on you, you better get your homework done.'"
