Struggling Artist Gives Steph Curry a Gift—What He Does Next Inspires Millions!
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Alex sat in his tiny apartment, surrounded by paintbrushes and unfinished canvases. His space was cramped, the walls peeling, and the single light bulb overhead barely illuminated his workspace. The sounds of the city buzzed beyond his window, but inside, Alex was lost in his own world. A half-finished portrait of a basketball player rested on his easel—his attempt to capture the essence of a man he deeply admired: Steph Curry.
For years, Alex had followed Curry’s journey, from being overlooked to becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history. He saw himself in Curry—someone constantly battling against the odds, striving for greatness despite the world’s indifference. But while Curry had ascended to legendary status, Alex remained stuck in obscurity. He painted tirelessly, hoping for a breakthrough, but the world seemed uninterested in his art. Bills piled up, gallery calls went unanswered, and his bank account was nearly empty.
By day, he worked as a barista, blending coffee for customers who barely acknowledged his presence. By night, he took on odd jobs just to make ends meet. His only solace was his art, the dream that refused to fade despite the overwhelming challenges. Deep inside, he believed that if the right person saw his work, his life could change forever. And there was no one better to recognize that potential than Steph Curry.
Determined to make this painting his defining masterpiece, Alex poured his heart into every stroke. He depicted Curry mid-air, poised for a game-winning shot, his expression full of unwavering focus. The painting became more than just an image—it was a story of resilience, struggle, and triumph. As Alex worked, memories of his own hardships surfaced: growing up in a place where dreams seemed unattainable, the countless rejections, the exhaustion from juggling jobs, and the self-doubt that threatened to consume him. But like Curry, he pushed forward. He refused to quit.
When the painting was finally complete, Alex faced a new challenge: how could he get it into Curry’s hands? Then, he learned about a charity basketball event in the city, where Curry was set to appear. This was his golden opportunity—but there was one major obstacle: money. Alex barely had enough to cover rent, let alone afford a ticket and transportation to the event. But he refused to let that stop him. He sold a few of his older paintings, took on extra shifts, and scraped together just enough to make the trip.
On the day of the event, Alex stood outside the packed arena, his heart pounding. The crowd was massive, security tight, and the reality of his situation set in. How was he going to get past all these barriers? Clutching his painting, he stepped into the long entry line, every minute stretching into eternity. When he finally reached the gate, a security guard eyed the large package in his hands.
“What’s in there?” the guard asked, arms crossed.
Alex swallowed hard. “It’s a gift for Steph Curry. I painted it for him. I just… I need to get it to him.”
The guard raised an eyebrow. “You think you can just walk in and hand something to Curry? This is a high-profile event.”
Alex’s heart sank, but he didn’t back down. “Please,” he said. “I’ve worked so hard on this. I know it’s a long shot, but I have to try.”
The guard hesitated, then sighed. “Wait here.”
Alex stood frozen, barely breathing as the seconds dragged on. Then, the guard returned. “You got lucky,” he said. “They’re giving you a pass to take the painting backstage. But you’ll have to go through security first.”
Relief flooded Alex as he nodded eagerly. He passed through the screening, the weight of his dreams heavier than ever. Once backstage, however, he faced another challenge—getting close to Curry in the sea of event staff, agents, and security. Doubt crept in. Had he come this far only to fail at the last moment?
Then, a voice called out. “Hey, what’s that you’re carrying?”
Alex turned to see a woman standing near the stage, eyes fixed on his package. It was Steph Curry’s personal assistant.
“Is that for Mr. Curry?” she asked.
Alex’s breath caught in his throat. “Yes,” he said, voice trembling. “I made it for him. I’m an artist, and I just wanted to give him something that means a lot.”
The assistant studied him for a moment, then smiled. “I’ll make sure he gets it.”
Alex felt his knees nearly buckle. It was happening. His painting—the work he had poured everything into—was finally in the right hands.
Moments later, the atmosphere shifted. The crowd parted slightly, and Alex saw him—Steph Curry, walking toward him. Time slowed. This was the moment he had dreamed of, but nothing could have prepared him for it.
Curry stopped in front of the painting, his gaze locked on the image. He didn’t just glance at it—he studied it, eyes full of admiration and understanding. Then, he turned to Alex, his voice warm and genuine.
“This is incredible,” Curry said. “You really captured the energy of the game. It’s more than just a picture—I can feel it.”
Alex struggled to find words. “I—I’ve always looked up to you,” he stammered. “Not just as a player, but for how you never gave up. I wanted to paint that—to show that strength, that resilience.”
Curry nodded, his expression thoughtful. “I see that,” he said. “You put your heart into this. You’ve got something special.”
Alex’s throat tightened with emotion. “I’ve been trying to make it as an artist for so long,” he confessed. “This is all I have. And I just wanted to share it with you.”
Curry’s eyes softened. “I get it,” he said. “I know what it’s like to feel like you’re putting everything on the line. I’ve been there. But you can’t give up. You have to keep pushing, because what you’re doing matters.”
Then, as if in perfect timing, Curry’s assistant stepped forward and handed Alex a small card. “Steph would like to stay in touch,” she said. “He’s interested in seeing more of your work.”
Alex’s hands trembled as he took the card, barely able to comprehend what had just happened. Curry smiled at him once more, a silent but powerful message passing between them: You’ve got this.
In the months that followed, everything changed. The painting that once lived in his small apartment had opened doors he never imagined. He held his own art exhibition, where people gathered to admire his work. He became a mentor to other struggling artists, just as Curry had mentored him in that brief but life-changing moment.
Standing before a crowd at his gallery opening, Alex took a deep breath. “I once thought this moment would never come,” he said. “But everything changed when I decided to believe in myself.”
The room was silent, his words sinking in. “We all have dreams. We all face struggles. But the key is to never give up. Keep pushing, keep believing—because sometimes, all it takes is one moment to change everything.”
As the applause filled the room, Alex knew his story had come full circle. And with that, he smiled, knowing this was just the beginning of something far greater than he had ever imagined.
See More: $66 million cap number means the Chiefs will need to re-do Patrick Mahomes’s deal, soon
As the Chiefs finish the third straight season of playing as late into the calendar as possible, they once again have limited time to take care of early-offseason business.
At the top of the stack is the future of tight end Travis Kelce, whose retirement would create both a giant hole in the starting lineup but $17.3 million in cap space.
Not far beneath Item A is the contract of Patrick Mahomes. Now that he’s getting deeper into his ultra-long-term half-billion-dollar deal, the cap numbers are going up. For 2025, it moves to $66.258 million.
They’ll need to chop it down. They surely will.
Before the 2023 season — and after Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow signed a then-record deal — the Chiefs reworked Mahomes’s contract to ensure that his cash flow exceeds all others (as of June 2024) in the four years from 2023 through 2026 and the four years from 2024 through 2027.
The simplest path to reducing the Mahomes cap number comes from a simple restructuring. His total 2025 compensation of $49 million (plus a $1 million workout bonus) could be shifted to a guaranteed payment, with his base salary dropped to the minimum of $1.255 million.
By giving him a $47.745 million dollar restructuring bonus and spreading it over five years, Mahomes’s 2025 cap burden would be $11.8 million. Coupled with past bonuses, his cap number for 2025 would be $28 million.
It would be a temporary fix, of course. The revised deal would bump his 2026 cap number to $78.213 million. Next year, they could do the same thing with his $55.75 million in salary and roster bonus.
But kicking the can goes only so far. Every time future cap dollars from current cash payments are pushed forward, the cap burden moves to future years. If the cap keeps going up and up (as it likely will), it works. Still, at some point, the allocations in a given year from the constant restructurings will be unavoidable. Minimizing the cap number in any/every given year comes with an eventual bill. For most teams with long-term franchise quarterbacks, there’s an inevitably gigantic cap charge that hits the cap the year (or two) after the player retires or leaves.
The Chiefs surely have a meticulous long-term plan for managing Mahomes. It’s part of the burden of having one of the best quarterbacks in league history on the team for eight years and counting, with at least (ideally) eight more after that.
The bigger problem for the Chiefs will be ensuring that the deal is periodically revised to keep Mahomes fairly close to the top of the market. At some point, the balance of his current deal will need to be torn up and replaced.
Still, the annual restructurings won’t erase the cap charges. The efforts to shrink the current year cap number will simply add to the cap bill that will come due when he’s no longer on the team.
The easiest way around this, of course, would be to tie the franchise quarterback’s total annual pay to a percentage of the cap. Every year, he gets the same sized slice of pie. With, say, 17 cents of every dollar going to the starting quarterback, the other 83 cents would go to the rest of them.
More importantly, the residual cap burden after the franchise quarterback leaves would be zero dollars, zero cents.
