Stephen Curry has publicly defended his wife, Ayesha Curry, after former NBA players Gilbert Arenas and Nick Young called her the only "blemish" in the Curry family over an on-screen kiss in her new film.

The Golden State Warriors star posted a video of about 90 seconds on Instagram on Wednesday, addressing Arenas, Young and former NFL player Emmanuel Acho, who had all criticised Ayesha's kissing scene with actor Matthew Daddario in the Roku romantic comedy Second Chance Holiday.

"Usually the noise doesn't bother me, it doesn't bother Ayesha, but this one in particular, when you're trying to step on the accomplishments of my wife," Curry said, adding that the critics were "giving opinions on somebody else's wife" about something they did not really know.

The row began on the podcast We Said What We Said on November 7, where Arenas and Young discussed the scene. "The only blemish in the family is the wife, in the sense, that she doesn't act like the other superstars' wives," Arenas said, comparing Ayesha with the wives of other NBA stars, including Michael Jordan's wife Yvette. Young, Curry's former Warriors teammate, agreed.

Curry framed his response as a wider point about how women are judged. "Something that kinda speaks to a bigger conversation on how you view women in this world and what they're allowed and what they're not allowed to do," he said. "Even the ignorance behind how acting works. Obviously I tried to laugh this one off, but, you know, something needs to be said."

He ended the video by suggesting the critics show support as loudly as they had voiced their judgment. "Maybe the apology can be as loud as y'all leading y'all shows with this topic," he said. "Appreciate the free pub." He captioned the post: "PSA - You don't have to like & subscribe to all podcasts. Keep shining."

Within hours, Young apologised on the Gil's Arena podcast. "I'm sorry, Steph. You my dog, I love you," he said. "If I say anything, I apologize like a man." Arenas offered a more qualified apology, saying he was sorry if Curry had been offended and insisting he had not meant the remark harshly. Acho later apologised on his Speakeasy show.

Ayesha, who stars as Chelsey in Second Chance Holiday, her first leading role in a feature film, thanked her husband on Thursday after a screening of the movie, writing that he made her feel "like the luckiest girl in the world... because I am." She had earlier told critics on X that the kiss "was not even real." The film premiered on The Roku Channel on November 5.