SAN FRANCISCO – After months of open negotiations following his departure from Under Armour last fall, 4-time NBA champion Stephen Curry has closed one of the most significant athlete endorsement deals in recent basketball history, penning a 10-year partnership with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning. The 38-year-old Golden State Warriors star broke the news to his millions of followers across social media platforms Monday, describing the new alliance as “the partnership of a lifetime” that goes far beyond a traditional signature sneaker contract.
The far-reaching agreement unlocks ambitious global growth opportunities for Curry’s eponymous Curry Brand, extending the label’s footprint beyond basketball footwear to cover new product lines including golf equipment and apparel, casual leisure wear, and opens the door for Curry to recruit and sign other elite athletes to his brand under the Li-Ning umbrella. In a video announcement posted alongside the news, Curry emphasized that the partnership is rooted in shared commitment to product quality, noting “This is bigger than a show deal, bigger than a signature series. Li-Ning will deliver sneakers that I believe in that will continue to deliver at the highest level.”
Curry is no stranger to Li-Ning’s roster of elite basketball talent: the brand already counts NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and Curry’s current Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler as signature sneaker athletes, giving the company a proven track record of elevating player-led brands in the global sportswear market. Prior to this move, Curry enjoyed a 13-year tenure with American athletic brand Under Armour, which helped turn him into one of the most marketable athletes in North American sports. Since splitting with Under Armour last November, the future Hall of Fame guard has tested out a range of different footwear brands throughout the ongoing NBA season as he weighed his long-term options.