• Stephen Curry was joined by Dr. Anthony Fauci on Instagram Live on Thursday for a Q&A session covering the coronavirus pandemic.
  • Ahead of the interview, Curry struggled to get Fauci to join the stream, in large part because so many fans were attempting to join the broadcast.
  • After more than 50,000 people joined to watch his conversation with Fauci, Curry earned praise from many on social media for using his platform for good.
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Stephen Curry hosted a question-and-answer session with Dr. Anthony Fauci on Instagram Live on Thursday to help inform the public about the coronavirus pandemic that has put nearly half of the US under lockdown.

In their 30-minute conversation, Curry and the top US infectious-disease expert discussed what made the virus so dangerous as well as the steps that needed to be taken to “flatten the curve” and to keep COVID-19 from spiking again.

But before Curry could get to any of that useful information, he had to get the livestream working. Curry said the broadcast would begin at 1 p.m. ET, but it was nearly 10 minutes later before he was finally able to link up with Fauci.

As it turns out, the popularity of Curry’s broadcast was one of the causes of the difficulty. Curry said so many viewers had requested to join the broadcast that he was struggling to find the one person he needed to bring into the conversation.

"All of y'all flooded my requests and now I can't get to Dr. Fauci's account," Curry said during his initial stream before logging out and logging back in so he could make contact with Fauci.

When the two finally connected, though, it was a successful conversation. Throughout the half-hour broadcast, viewership held steady at roughly 50,000 people. Big names including Justin Bieber and former President Barack Obama chimed in during the broadcast to share their approval.

"Listen to the science," Obama wrote in one comment, thanking the two for their conversation. "Do your part and take care of each other."

After the broadcast, many more praised Curry for using his voice to help share important information.

https://twitter.com/racheldoerrie/status/1243226627997347842?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

After the broadcast, Curry shared the entirety of the conversation on his social platforms, thanking those who tuned in and encouraging more people to share.

Athletes have shown there are plenty of ways to stay busy while stuck inside during the past week - from TikTok dances to golf trick shots. But Curry's interview with Fauci showed there was still important work athletes could be doing off the court.

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