Steph Curry and LeBron James have a rivalry made in friendly competition heaven, and in basketball’s Game of Thrones, there are multiple wins amid their varied professional verticals. The two showed up in double overtime on Saturday as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors in double overtime 145-144. Curry dropped 46 points, with 15 points coming in overtime, while LeBron gave the game 36 points and a career-high 20 rebounds and 12 assists.
Off the court, Curry is a multi-hyphenate businessman who operates SC30, his holding company that houses many business interests. He signed the NBA’s first $200 million contract in 2017 and became the only player to do it twice when he inked a four-year, $215 million extension in 2021. Currently worth $100.4 million per Forbes, Curry knows how to scale up, with a simple addition.
According to Sports Illustrated, his flagship business, Curry Brand with Under Armour, is one of the ten sportswear brands on the rise in 2024. What’s more important is how Curry is advancing his brand’s narrative, and that is by being inclusive with other currently active players.
In Curry We Brand
To rival the massive success of Jordan Brand by none other than Michael “Air” Jordan, Curry Brand signed its first player to their own signature shoe with the Sacramento Kings’ De’Aaron Fox. Set to drop in fall 2024, per reports; the growth is a testament to Curry’s ability to transcend sports and tap into those that most embody his “Curriness,” a new word but so appropriate.
“If the past ten years have shown me anything, it’s that Under Armour and I can build great things together,” Curry said to The Sporting News. “It’s all about impacting athletes and creating products that perform and resonate with them, and Under Armour does it best. In 2013, Under Armour bet on me, and I bet on them, and I’m all in on taking this next step together.”
Under Armour basketball has made Curry Brand a standalone offshoot of its basketball division with Steph Curry as the president in 2020. The company officially announced extending this partnership with Under Armour in May 2023.
“To have somebody that believes in what you’re doing, believes in what the brand stands for, and believes in not just being a Curry Brand athlete, but taking that and building that into your identity as a player is special. And that’s exactly why we chose De’Aaron — he believes in Curry Brand and our mission as much as he believes in himself on the court. I’m grateful to have a partner that is so dedicated to our brand and invested in what our collective future holds,” said Curry said in a statement.
The signing of Fox is on brand as the Northern California-based point guard is rapidly changing the Sacramento Kings’ status in the NBA ecosystem. Take, for example, the Kings’ recent win over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, where Fox scored 34 points in the 120-115 win. It was part of a two-game win streak that saw the Kings also beat Curry and the Warriors 134-133 two days earlier. Fox dropped 29 points to Curry’s 33 in the win.
With the game of basketball inevitably changed by Steph Curry’s almost trick-like shooting abilities, his brand is now strong enough to brand others and propel Steph to cook in the kitchen of an enterprise made in his likeness.
