It’s been one hell of a summer for Stephen Curry.
First, he won his fourth NBA Championship and his first Finals MVP against the Boston Celtics. Second, after graduating from Davidson College in May, he finally received his diploma and officially walked the stage two weeks ago. Now, the NBA superstar is reportedly on the verge of signing a lifetime deal with Under Armour worth $1 billion.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Curry confirmed that he’s close to locking in a lifetime contract with the sports brand, which is similar to LeBron James, who signed a lifetime contract with Nike in 2015 that was also reportedly worth over $1 billion.
Although Curry’s first shoe endorsement was with Nike, he ultimately left the popular sports apparel brand in 2013 after disagreements over a contract extension. Infamously, during a business meeting with Nike, one of the representatives mispronounced Stephen’s came calling him “Steph-on” and even worse, they used a repurposed PowerPoint slide that read Kevin Durant’s name, according to Sports Illustrated.
Curry then signed with Under Armor, becoming the face of the brand and growing into one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, ballooning the value of the company.
Curry also shared with Rolling Stone that things weren’t always peachy with Under Armour Founder Kevin Plank, especially after he appeared on CNBC in 2017 praising then-President Donald Trump, saying, “to have such a pro-business president is a real asset to this country.
The next day, Curry said, “I agree with that description if you remove the ‘et.’”
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At a come-to-Jesus summit with Plank in the summer of 2018, Curry says, he made clear that he was thinking about leaving for the competition: “Certain things needed to change, or else.” Nodding toward his crotch, he adds, “I put it on the table.” After the meeting, Plank agreed to establish Curry Brand as its own subsidiary, in the mold of Jordans.
“I don’t have to raise my voice to get mad,” Curry says. “That’s the best part about it.”
Despite the ups and downs throughout his career, 2022 has been mostly ups for the greatest shooter in NBA history. This $1 billion contract could potentially help Curry join LeBron James and Michael Jordan as the third NBA player to become a billionaire and the second to do so while still playing the league.