To say that Steph Curry is an international sensation would be an understatement. One of the world’s most recognizable athletes, he has revolutionized the sport of basketball over 15 seasons in the NBA with three-point shooting, by winning championships and exhibiting a joy for the game that resonates with casual and fanatical viewers of the sport in North America and around the globe.
Besides four NBA titles, he’s won gold medals at two FIBA World Championships and played in multiple NBA All-Star Games. Along with his rival Lebron James, Curry has been the face of the league and the sport for the past decade.
And then he played for Team USA at the Paris Olympics.
After a slow start in the first four games, his scintillating performances in the semifinal against Serbia and the gold medal game against France tantalized audiences both at the Bercy Arena in Paris and on television screens worldwide. His dead-eye shooting and flair for the dramatic reminded the world that he is still at the top of his game.
It was the perfect inflection point to witness Steph Curry the basketball player emerging into Steph Curry the businessman. Like only a few of his contemporaries and predecessors, Curry is an individual conglomerate, a CEO, an industry onto himself. He will likely soon be a billionaire, and when his playing days are over, an NBA owner.
Sportico reports that after signing a one-year contract extension with the Golden State Warriors on August 30, Curry’s career earnings from salaries and endorsements will ultimately pass $1 billion USD. He will make $55.8M in salary in the upcoming season, the eighth consecutive year he is the highest paid player in the league. Thanks to endorsements, lucrative side hustles and investments, he’ll make another $52M away from the sport, as per Forbes.
Curry recently participated in a 4-city tour of Asia and opened a Curry Brand retail store in Chengdu, a city in China with a population over 21 million. The opening of the store is the culmination of his long-standing relationship with Under Armour, manufacturer of the line of Curry signature sneakers. The Athletic reports that Curry “received $75 million worth of shares in UA for becoming president of its Curry Brand.”
Along with Kevin Plank, the founder, president and CEO of Under Armour, Curry recently appeared on Bloomberg Power Players New York, telling viewers “the vision with the Under Armour team was to build something unique and special to kind of reflect what I wanted in the basketball space.”
Like Michael Jordan before him, Curry’s association with a shoe company is his key brand. “I’m in this thing,” he stated. “I’m part of designing it, the evolution of the line and I’m excited this is something we can continue even after I’m done playing basketball.”
His exploits in Paris and the four years remaining on his Warriors contract indicate it will be quite a while before his playing days are over, ensuring another Olympic cycle of unstoppable exposure for him and his brands, setting him up for even more financial success after retirement. A return to the Olympics for LA28 – at age 40 – could be the final page of the Hollywood script his life has become.
While shoes and sportswear might be his off-the-court bread and butter, it is far from the only thing.
According to Inc.com, Curry “launched Unanimous Media in 2018 to create TV and film projects centred on the themes of faith, family, and sports.” The company produces films, TV shows, books, podcasts and video games. Unanimous has a development deal with Comcast NBCUniversal and launched the show “Mr. Throwback” this month on Peacock. The documentary “Underrated” airs on Apple TV.
Curry introduced Gentleman’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in 2023, and, according to Investopedia, is also invested in Tonal, a smart home gym startup, which is valued at up to about $600 million as per the Wall Street Journal. SI.com reports that Curry is also a lead investor in Nirvana Water Sciences Corp., a company offering waters, seltzers and other wellness beverages.
NBA.com has reported that Curry had the top-selling jersey in the NBA for the past two seasons, a strong indicator of his enduring popularity as an icon of the game.
Under Armour remains at the top of Curry’s priority list, according to Business of Fashion. And the Curry Brand is critical to UA. TD Cowen estimated that Curry Brand accounts for as much as $250 million in annual sales. With Curry’s unwavering international star power further enhanced by the Olympics, he and UA look to take a run at the sector’s undisputed champion, Jordan himself, and Nike’s Jordan Brand.
Curry told Business of Fashion “you look at examples like the Jordan Brand – the peak of an athlete taking their platform and presence and turning it into something.
“I’m trying to build my version of that.”
The final pillar to this one-man conglomerate will be NBA ownership, something disallowed to active players. Jordan owned and sold the Charlotte Hornets for a tidy profit. There’s no question Curry is eyeing this after his retirement.
“I know I have a lot more to accomplish on the court before I move into any other role in the league,” he said on CNBC recently. “But I definitely want to be a part of the ownership landscape.”
With a net worth of $770 million according to Sportico, realizing that goal is just a matter of time. Until then, nets will continue to be splashed with his legendary three-point shooting, and the Steph Curry sensation will only continue to spread around the world.
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