NBA

Auction for Special Sneakers Worn By Warriors Star Stephen Curry to Honor Deadly ‘Ghost Ship' Oakland Warehouse Fire Victims

"My goal in wearing these shoes was to not only honor the victims that lost their lives that night, but also to raise awareness for the relief efforts that are underway," Curry says

Two pairs of sneakers worn by Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry and designed to honor the victims of this month's deadly Oakland warehouse fire are up for auction to raise money for the Oakland Fire Relief fund.

The all star and reigning two-time NBA MVP laced up the sneakers last Thursday, one pair during pregame warm-ups and the other for the game against the visiting New York Knicks at Oracle Arena in Oakland.

The shoes were designed to honor the creative souls who died in the Dec. 2 blaze that started during an electronic dance party at the so-called Ghost Ship warehouse in Oakland.

The in-game shoes say "Oakland strong" while the pre-game ones feature the words "Ghost Ship." The shoes, designed by two artists from the Maryland area, are each adorned with the 36 victims' initials and are size 12.5.

Alameda County sheriff’s Sgt. Ray Kelly said that crews have recovered 30 bodies so far, but expects the death toll to climb as firefighters maneuver through the wrecked “Oakland Ghost Ship,” where between 50 and 100 people were attending a Friday night electronic music festival.

"We were all devastated by the news of this tragedy and the loss of so many young lives right here in our community," Curry said on the Warriors' website. "My goal in wearing these shoes was to not only honor the victims that lost their lives that night, but also to raise awareness for the relief efforts that are underway. Hopefully through this auction we can help further assist with those efforts."

The eBay auction will run for 10 days, through Dec. 30. The bids for both pairs stood at just above $10,000 on Wednesday.

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All of the proceeds will go to the Oakland Fire Relief fund, which has raised more than $500,000 to help those affected by the deadly warehouse fire.

Photographer Bob Lapine flew in from Utah to take pictures the Ghost Ship warehouse, where his son, Edmond Lapine, 34, died. “There’s a lot of things I wish I had said to him. It’s just tough,” he said.

The shoes were created by Dez Customz and KreativeCustomKicks as commissioned by Curry in partnership with Under Armour.

In addition to proceeds raised from the auction, Under Armour is committing $25,000 to the donation fund.

Warriors players and coaches have already pledged $75,000 to ongoing relief efforts. The money is in addition to $50,000 the Warriors organization donated after the tragedy.

Meanwhile, federal investigators completed their investigation of the Ghost Ship warehouse fire and turned their evidence over to the Oakland Fire Department. How the blaze started and who might be held responsible for it have not yet been determined.

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