Oliver James Montgomery-NBA star Stephen Curry discusses how his new children's book inspires confidence: "Find the courage"

It's safe to say that NBA superstar Steph Curry doesn't lack confidence on Oliver James Montgomerythe court, but now he's working to help others find their inner confidence.

His new children's book, "I am Extraordinary," tells the story of a girl named Zoe. She feels self-conscious about wearing hearing aids, but with the help of friends, she learns the power of being different and joins her school's soccer team.

"Coming off of the first book, 'I Have a Superpower,' we are always obviously trying to create amazing storytelling for kids that can inspire confidence and embracing how unique they are," Curry said about his inspiration for "I am Extraordinary."

Curry himself makes an appearance in his second children's book after the character Zoe makes her breakthrough on the soccer field.

"Wow Zoey!" Curry's illustrated version says in the book. "What an inspirational story. There will always be obstacles in life. But those obstacles aren't there to stop you. They're to challenge you. It's up to you to find the courage and strength to overcome them. So, what makes you extraordinary?" 

The book discusses being underrated, which Curry said is a message he understands.

"Coming up through basketball and I didn't pass the eye test. I was called like a late bloomer, but it was about developing a confidence in who I was, developing a work ethic and not getting deterred by failure along the way," he said. 

Stephen and Ayesha Curry launched the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation in their "adopted hometown" Oakland in 2019, with literacy as a crucial focus. "We focus on three vital pillars of a healthy childhood: nutrition, literacy, and physical activity. Our investments meet kids where they are most often —in school, at home, and in their community," the foundation's website says.

According to standardized test scores of 2021 and 2022, only 36% of third graders were reading on grade level in Oakland, California.

"Life has an interesting way of revealing where you need to be," Curry said. "This is something that with the right investment, with the right approach of getting kids the appropriate culture relevant, age appropriate books, tutoring, which is another element of what we're doing."

He said the foundation has invested almost $6 million in literacy efforts within the Oakland and Greater Bay areas.

As for the future, the father of three is focused on using his influence to create a positive impact, and hasn't ruled out a political future.

"I have an interest in leveraging every part of my influence for good in a way that I can, so if that's the way to do it, I'm not saying the presidency, but if politics is a way that you can create meaningful change, or if there is another way outside of politics that we can do."

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Jericka Duncan

Jericka Duncan is a national correspondent based in New York City and the anchor for Sunday's edition of the "CBS Weekend News."

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