Leave it to Stephen Curry to shoot his way out of the friend zone.
Before he was the NBA’s leading scorer and soon-to-be two-time league MVP, Curry was a college kid trying to win the affections of his now-wife, Ayesha. And believe it or not, it wasn’t all “love and basketball” at first sight, according to the couple's account in a recent Parent Magazine article.
MORE: Classic photos of Stephen Curry | Curry sets timeline for return
The two knew each other well in high school. They even were in the same church youth group. But Ayesha wasn't allowed to date, and that was that.
Fast forward a couple of years. Stephen was a baby-faced NCAA Tournament star for Davidson College in North Carolina and Ayesha was 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles looking to jumpstart her career as an actress. Stephen was in town for the ESPYs, so he messaged Ayesha on Facebook to hang out.
That’s when he made his move.
“He was in mid-conversation and came flying at my face like a thief in the night,” Ayesha Curry told Parent Magazine. “So I was like, 'no.' Then I thought, 'Oh, I didn’t know this is what was happening.'"
MORE: Ayesha Curry speaks out about memes using her image
Like all great players, Stephen made adjustments and came through in the clutch.
A few years later he asked her to marry him in the driveway of his parents' house — where they shared their first kiss — just like something straight out of “The Notebook.”
“The plan was to act like we were going to a family cookout. So we pulled up to the house, and I stopped in the middle of the driveway, got down on my knee, and went into my spiel,” Stephen Curry said. “Little did I know the whole family was looking out the window, videotaping the moment.”
Moral of the story: Always take the shot.