Banding together as Warriors in the Fight Against Malaria

What do U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, 12 year-old Cooper Smith and NBA All-Star Steph Curry have in common? They’re all Warriors in the Fight Against Malaria! This was on full display at Nothing But Nets Night with the Golden State Warriors on March 30.

Rep Lee, who has been a tireless and critical voice in Congress for strong U.S. leadership and funding to fight malaria and other preventable diseases, joined Nothing But Nets on center court right before the Warriors vs Knicks tip-off. Alongside Warriors General Manager Bob Myers and our Director Chris Helfrich, Lee presented a “Malaria Warriors” Award to Cooper Smith, a local 12 year-old who has organized a trick shot competition and donated his birthday to raise awareness and funds for Nothing But Nets.

Cooper’s involvement was inspired by Steph Curry’s Three for Three Challenge. For every three pointer Steph makes, he donates three life-saving bed nets and this season, the Warriors are providing a match- doubling the impact. 

Following the game- a heart-breaking loss for the Warriors- Steph joined us for a post-game chalk talk with hundreds of fans. He shared how his involvement with Nothing But Nets has brought new meaning to his basketball game and fatherhood and encouraged fans to get involved. They had already taken the first step- for each promotional ticket that fans purchased, the Warriors donated $10, so raising funds for over 200 life-saving bed nets. Among the crowd at the chalk talk were 80 local youth who had participated in the Warriors basketball clinic earlier in the day. Not only did they get to work on refining their dribbling and shooting skills- I also had the chance to talk to them about how to send nets and save lives like Steph.

By banding together as Warriors- engaging our communities in sending nets and saving lives and encouraging strong U.S. leadership and funding- we’ll be able to defeat malaria. It starts now. Please join us in taking a sports challenge this April to help us send 25,000 life-saving bed nets to protect children and families from malaria.