--- description: The former president also introduced NBA star Steph Curry as "Ayesha's husband" title: Barack Obama Praises Michelle in Talk About 'Being a Man' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb24cbd26febc99/69894576457a5288dad6089a/obamacurry.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Barack Obama Manages to Work in a Michelle Obama Compliment in a Discussion About 'Being a Man' by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2019 4:47 PM CUT  Former U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry speak in conversation during the MBK Rising! My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Summit on February 19, 2019 in Oakland, California. MBK Rising! is bringing together hundreds of young men of color, local leaders and organizations that are working to reduce youth violence, create impactful mentorship programs, and improving life for young men of color. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was started by President Barack Obama following the death of Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) Former U.S. President Barack Obama (L) and Golden State Warriors player Stephen Curry speak in conversation during the MBK Rising! My Brother’s Keeper Alliance Summit on February 19, 2019 in Oakland, California. MBK Rising! is bringing together hundreds of young men of color, local leaders and organizations that are working to reduce youth violence, create impactful mentorship programs, and improving life for young men of color. The My Brother’s Keeper initiative was started by President Barack Obama following the death of Trayvon Martin. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)Obama and Cu by [Melissa Locker](/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 20, 2019 4:47 PM CUT Former President [Barack Obama](http://time.com/4147665/barack-obama-drake-hotline-bling/?iid=sr-link5 "undefined") teamed up with Golden State Warrior star [Stephen Curry](http://time.com/5467417/steph-curry-shoes-girls/ "undefined") to encourage the audience of young African-American men to focus on their own self-confidence as the path to true success in life. On Tuesday, the very dynamic duo spoke at an event to mark the fifth anniversary of the non-profit My Brother’s Keeper Alliance in Oakland, California, which is funded in part by the Obama Foundation. Over the course of their conversation, Obama and Curry discussed the evolving role of men in society and cautioned against falling into old “stereotypes” of what being a man means. To demonstrate his point, Obama introduced himself to the audience as “Michelle’s husband,” referring to his wife of 27 years, [Michelle Obama](http://time.com/5421731/michelle-obama-white-house/ "undefined"). He then introduced the NBA star as “Ayesha’s husband.” The two discussed the social pressures that young men face. [_The Independent_ ](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-obama-racism-masculinity-steph-curry-oakland-nba-michelle-a8787591.html "undefined")[reported](https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/barack-obama-racism-masculinity-steph-curry-oakland-nba-michelle-a8787591.html "undefined") that Obama touched on inequality, saying that men can “feel we have to compensate by exaggerating stereotypical ways men are supposed to act. And that’s a trap.” He also talked about how the images of success portrayed by most hip-hop and rap stars can perpetuate damaging stereotypes. “We live in a culture where our worth is measured by how much money we have and how famous we are,” he told the audience, the [_San Francisco Chronicle_](https://www.sfchronicle.com/warriors/amp/Stephen-Curry-Barack-Obama-discuss-trials-of-13629222.php "undefined")reported. “I will tell you, at the end of the day, the thing that will give you confidence is not that. I know a lot of rich people that are all messed up.” Obama told the crowd, “If you are really confident about your financial situation, you’re probably not going to be wearing an 8-pound chain around your neck. If you’re very confident about your sexuality, you don’t have to have eight women around you twerking.” He continued: “Cause I’ve got one woman who I’m very happy with. And she’s a strong woman.” The audience couldn’t help but applaud at that. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5533330/obama-curry/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5533330/obama-curry/"},"headline":"Barack Obama Manages to Work in a Michelle Obama Compliment in a Discussion About 'Being a Man'","datePublished":"2019-02-20T16:47:20.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:57:34.022Z","description":"He also introduced NBA star Steph Curry as \"Ayesha's husband\"","url":"https://time.com/5533330/obama-curry/","keywords":["Newsfeed","celebrities","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb24cbd26febc99/69894576457a5288dad6089a/obamacurry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltacb24cbd26febc99/69894576457a5288dad6089a/obamacurry.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Barack Obama Attends My Brother's Keeper's Alliance First National Gathering MBK Rising! 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