A 9-year-old girl’s life changed forever last November when she noticed sneakers designed by her favorite NBA player, Stephen Curry, apparently weren’t available in girls’ sizes.
Riley Morrison wrote a letter to Curry and, three months later, that letter brought Riley and her family to an Under Armour pop-up store in Oakland, where she was able to meet Curry himself.
“I just wanted it to change because I didn’t think it was fair,” Morrison told “CBS This Morning.”
After reading the letter, Curry and Under Armour decided to change the way they market shoes to girls. They also invited Morrison to design the artwork on the inside of a new version of the shoe.
“I wanted to make sure she was a part of that,” Curry said. “So it’s awesome to be here to see the entire story come full circle.”
Morrison says she can’t describe the feeling of seeing others wearing the shoes she designed, telling CBS News’ Dana Jacobson it’s “a dream come true.”
“It’s definitely built up my confidence,” Morrison said. “Before I wasn’t very confident. I was really shy. So this definitely helped that.”
Curry said he can’t believe a nine-year-old wrote such a poignant letter.
“I want my girls to know that and have that confidence,” Curry said. “As a father, I think that’s a job we have every single day to hopefully shape their perspective that they can do whatever they want to.”
The timing of Riley getting her shoes is no coincidence. Later Friday night, she’ll wear her new kicks at center court of the Warriors game, on International Women’s Day, right alongside her idol and part-time pen pal.
Morrison also hopes a lesson is learned from her experience.
“We all have a voice and by simply writing a letter you can make a change,” Morrison said.
