Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry paid tribute to one of the victims in the Chapel Hill, N.C. shooting during NBA All-Star festivities Saturday night after finding out that Deah Shaddy Barakat was one of his biggest fans.
Curry wrote #CurryFORDEAH and #RIPDEAH on the shoes he wore during the Shooting Stars event and the 3-point contest, memorializing Barakat, the 23-year-old who, along with his wife and her sister, was shot and killed in Chapel Hill on Tuesday.
.@StephenCurry30 honors the memory of Deah Shaddy Barakat, one of the Chapel Hill shooting victims & a huge GSW fan. pic.twitter.com/kiy9NUXzDS
— GoldenStateWarriors (@warriors) February 15, 2015
“Even though we never met, I think it will hopefully mean a lot to his family and friends that knew what kind of a basketball fan he was to have some kind of peace knowing that people are thinking about him and they’re not alone,” Curry told Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group.
Curry was Barakat’s favorite player, as Leung noted. His family has noted his “love for basketball and anything Steph Curry,” and he wore Curry’s number 30 during intramural basketball games and listed “aspiring Splash Brother” in his Twitter biography, a reference to the nickname given to Curry and his teammate Klay Thompson.
North Carolina State basketball player Malik-Abdul Abu, who knew the victims and is a devout Muslim, paid his own tribute in an Instagram post this week.
“When I heard the news I was in disbelief I couldn’t quite understand how this was possible,” Abu wrote. “I couldn’t wrap my head around the thought of you and your beautiful wife no longer being alive. you supported me before you met me and showed unconditional love when you did. always excited and happy, always willing to joke around about how the season would go. For the short time I’ve known you, you blessed me with the opportunity to attend your wedding a wedding I see as my first real wedding. We didn’t grow up together but when I heard the news I was hurt like I’ve known you my whole life. I just wanna say thank you to you your wife and family for the support and making North Carolina feel like home. Rest in peace brother and sisters may Allah bless all three of you with the highest heaven. I know you’ll always and forever be a NC State supporter. Rest easy my dude.”