BY EBEN NOVY-WILLIAMS
Stephen Curry’s new 10-year deal with Li-Ning should accelerate the Chinese apparel company’s opportunities in the U.S. It will also notably boost the Golden State Warriors star’s opportunities in China, where he and his brand could continue to make millions long after he’s done playing.
Curry announced the end of his sneaker free agency Monday evening. Seven months after his surprise split from Under Armour, Curry is moving on with Li-Ning. His Curry Brand will expand into golf and athleisure, he said, with stores set to open in both the U.S. and abroad. Financial specifics of the agreement, negotiated by his Octagon agent Jeff Austin, weren’t announced.
The decade-long term implies that the 38-year-old is thinking well beyond the rest of his playing career. And outside of the U.S. there’s no better place for him to make money than in China, the world’s second largest basketball market.
“Curry’s opportunity in China is massive, absolutely massive,” sports marketing expert Bob Dorfman said in an interview. “He’s the most accessible NBA star there is—maybe of all time. Kids can identify with him because he’s not huge, he’s public facing, and he’s a family man. His wife is cool, his kids are always around him. There’s no history of bad behavior.”
