By: Debadrita Ghosh Image credit: NBA & Twitter
Curry, the NBA star, claimed that he experienced goosebumps while recalling his talk with Jones, an Oklahoman man serving a 19-year sentence for a crime he insists he didn't commit.
Jones' supporters were able to communicate with Curry and the Warriors while they were in the state for their game against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to a clemency trial regarding his impending execution.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted a temporary stay of execution to Jones, 41, and another death row inmate on Wednesday as it considered a lawsuit filed by a group of 30 prisoners challenging the sedative used in Oklahoma's lethal injection procedure.
Curry said, "Coming out of a basketball game, you’re celebrating a win in the locker room and then you’re like, ‘What’s it like in his shoes right now?’ It kind of checks you a little bit. (It) gives you an appreciation for the blessings in your life but also the work that needs to be done," after a 106-98 victory.
Eyewitness accounts and several proofs, including the murder weapon being discovered in Jones' family home, led to his 2002 death sentence for the killing of Paul Howell. However, his family claims that another guy fits the killer's description.
Jones' case gained widespread attention when a program was shown on ABC in 2018. Kim Kardashian and other athletes have publicly supported him, but as per the Jones family, Curry's support was great.
Jimmy Lawson had been fighting for almost 2 decades to get his best friend out of prison. Lawson handed her phone to Curry to talk to Jones. After talking about basketball, both of them discussed the case and how to meet in person.
Curry said about Jones and his family, "You can tell how selfless he is in this whole situation, I love the family, their love not just for Julius and their family member but what this case can potentially mean for reform in the legal system and incarceration system. …”
He continued, “It was just the right thing to do. It’s an important opportunity to change somebody’s life that deserves an opportunity to be free.”
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