Stephen Curry wore a Hebrew sweatshirt at the NBA Finals

(JTA) — Jews in search of a rooting curiosity within the concluding video games of this 12 months’s NBA Finals may need one now, due to a head-turning wardrobe selection from Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry.

No, Curry isn’t Jewish. However throughout Friday’s Sport 4 postgame press convention, following a Warriors victory, he did don a Hebrew sweatshirt for the cameras — one which matches his personal Hebrew tattoos.

Eagle-eyed Twitter sleuth Emma Goss, a reporter at Jewish Telegraphic Company companion J. The Jewish Information of Northern California, caught the hoodie. It options the phrase “האהבה לא תבל לעולם אך”, which interprets to “love by no means fails” — a reference to the New Testomony passage 1 Corinthians 13:8 (although with the Hebrew letters written within the reverse order). It’s additionally one in all Curry’s two Hebrew tattoos, which he shares together with his spouse. 

The sweatshirt additionally options a picture of Curry’s wrist, visibly emblazoned with the identical Hebrew tattoo. Curry’s second Hebrew tattoo is solely his final identify rendered in Hebrew: “קרי”.

Curry’s fascination with the language may stem from his mom, Sonya Curry, who advised reporters in 2015 that following a earlier go to to Israel, she “was simply remodeled spiritually.” Sonya Curry, who additionally has a Hebrew tattoo, stated she needed to study Hebrew as a result of it’s the language that Jesus spoke (extra doubtless, he spoke Aramaic, though most likely understood Hebrew), and added that she needed to learn the Torah in Hebrew.

In fact, a haphazardly translated New Testomony phrase is hardly a gateway to significant Jewish knowledge. However the NBA Finals sequence between the Warriors and the Boston Celtics has different Jewish connections, too. 

For Boston, that features Corridor of Fame coach and government Pink Auerbach (who died in 2006), the son of a Russian-Jewish immigrant who is mostly thought-about the best coach within the historical past of basketball. 

For the Warriors, there’s Jewish-Ukrainian immigrant and fellow Corridor of Fame coach Eddie Gottlieb (who died in 1979), who performed a number one position in bringing the workforce to the Bay Space from Philadelphia. 

Two of the NBA’s greatest awards are named after these two Jewish basketball pioneers. The league’s Rookie of the Yr award confers the Eddie Gottlieb Trophy, whereas the Coach of the Yr receives the Pink Auerbach Trophy.

Curry’s Warriors lead the Celtics three video games to 2 heading into Thursday night time’s Sport 6. If the Warriors win, will probably be the workforce’s fourth championship since 2015.