Steph Curry is making $43 million this season and due to make about $45.8 million in 2021-22, according to Spotrac. He could have another supermax contract awaiting him when he turns 34 next summer. Forbes estimated Curry made $44 million from endorsements in 2020 and reported he was the world's sixth-highest paid athlete last year.
So it’s no wonder that Curry has already put some thought into potentially having a stake as an owner in an NBA franchise one day.
“I don’t have a specific plan but I follow a lot of the conversations and some of the ways that former players kind of approached those opportunities,” Curry said Tuesday in a video conference with reporters. “You see, like, Grant Hill, Shaq and other guys that have really put in the time and effort and done their homework and put themselves in position to realize that dream. Obviously, MJ is the ultimate example. It’s definitely interesting. It’s enticing, but a long way to go.”
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As Curry noted, Grant Hill (Atlanta Hawks), Shaquille O’Neal (Sacramento Kings) own stakes in teams, while Michael Jordan is the majority owner of the Charlotte Hornets. Curry could also ask coach Steve Kerr about the finer details of NBA ownership, as he formerly held a 1 percent stake in the Phoenix Suns but sold it before joining Golden State.
Curry is in Year 12 of his NBA career but Year 1 of having his own Curry Brand, which he formed with apparel company and longtime sponsor Under Armour. He remains one of the league’s most popular players with the No. 4 top-selling jersey on NBA.com and is awaiting the return of his Splash Brother Klay Thompson. Fans will hopefully be allowed at Chase Center at some point this season.
There’s a lot of money to be made. Can you imagine Steph owning part of the Dubs one day?
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Curry also is following WNBA ownership news and applauded the recent sale of the Atlanta Dream. A three-person ownership group featuring former Dream player Renee Washington took over for embattled former owner Kelly Loeffler, who was under fire for her stance against the league’s support of Black Lives Matter.
“It’s amazing,” Curry said. “It really just speaks for itself in terms of how you flip a terrible situation and misrepresentation of what the WNBA is about on its head. For Renee and that group to come in, it’s just awesome to see.
"It’s very inspirational in terms of where we’re all headed, in terms of turning these conversations into actual action and opportunity and an accomplishment like that. Shout out to Renee and just the conversation at large around women’s sports -- protecting the game, growing the game and getting some skin the game, too, and that’s pretty dope.”
