Curry’s Sundance short film spotlights Clarence B. Jones, MLK Jr.’s attorney and speechwriter.
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Steph Curry has made a habit of knocking down shots that steal the spotlight across NBA arenas. Now, that same star power is drawing applause in movie theaters. On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors star earned Sundance Film Festival recognition when “The Baddest Speech Writer of All,” a short film he co-produced and co-directed, captured the Grand Jury Prize at the festival’s short film awards in Park City, Utah.
Two-time Academy Award–winning filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, who co-directed and co-produced the film, marked the moment on Instagram, posting alongside Curry from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, where the Warriors had just defeated the Utah Jazz. Due to his NBA commitments, Curry did not attend the Sundance Film Festival.
“Thank you Sundance for opening up space for us to tell Clarence’s story,” Curry said. “It’s needed right now, and I know that his life and his work will continue to impact so many people and continue to impact cultures. So thank you for this, and we’re going to share it with the world.”
The short film, also produced by Erick Peyton, centers on Clarence B. Jones, 93, the longtime attorney and speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Through Jones’ own reflections, the project revisits pivotal moments alongside the civil rights leader and explores the personal sacrifices that came with helping shape history.
Members of the short film jury — A.V. Rockwell, Liv Constable-Maxwell and Martin Starr — issued a joint statement, shared by the Salt Lake Tribune, saying that the film “Implores us to take action with a message that is timeless and timely. Through the eyes of its subject, we find one of the most important moments in modern history has a new perspective.”
The jury went on to describe the project as a “portrait of a strong willed, hilarious, compassionate man, and the instrumental role he played in kicking ass, nonviolently, against division and hate.”
“Stephen and I are jumping for joy (him a lot higher than I) with this extraordinary recognition,” Proudfoot told Deadline, adding, “Clarence B. Jones’ extraordinary story feels tailor-made to this very moment. He calls on all of us to follow in his footsteps in times of injustice: exit our comfort zones, live with purpose, and non-violently kick ass.
Curry and Proudfoot are no strangers to collaborating on award-winning projects. The duo previously teamed up on “The Queen of Basketball,” a 2022 short film that earned an Academy Award. The project chronicled the groundbreaking career of Lusia Harris, the first woman to be drafted by an NBA team and the scorer of the first basket in Olympic women’s basketball history.
That project was produced by The New York Times, marking the newspaper’s first-ever Oscar win. Adam Ellick, director and executive producer of Op-Docs and Opinion Video at the Times, served as an executive producer alongside Curry and Shaquille O’Neal, with Proudfoot directing the film.
The two-time NBA MVP isn’t new to the Sundance spotlight. In 2023, Curry appeared at the festival to support “Underrated,” the Apple TV documentary directed by Peter Nicks that chronicles Curry’s journey and rise to basketball stardom.
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Denny Alfonso is a trending news writer for The Athletic. An Emmy Award–winning New Yorker, Denny previously covered the NBA, MLB, and MLS for ESPN, where she produced and reported the Soccer in America series, earning a Telly Award. She also covered the Rio Olympics for ESPN. Before joining ESPN, Denny worked as an investigative reporter for NBC Telemundo in Los Angeles and has been a contributor to both Yahoo and The Associated Press in New York.
