Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is so marketable that at least one heroin dealer in Philadelphia tried to cash in on his mighty brand.
Thomas Nestel, the police chief for Philly's regional transit system, tweeted about a recent bust in which officers seized packets of the drug that displayed Curry's likeness.
The case, although disturbing, is another example of how Steph Curry has permeated our culture. He is a marketing machine. Watch any of the NBA playoff games and you’ll see his pitches for a water filter or an iPhone or his own signature line at Under Armour.
How potent is Curry's appeal?
Earlier this month, Under Armour released first quarter results for 2016. The second generation of Curry's line of shoes was credited for a massive increase in footwear net revenue -- up 64 percent to $264 million.
The company's marketing of the Curry Two -- "the shoe behind every moment, every record, and every win" -- is bold. As you peruse the shoe's features and colors online, Under Armour advises you that the Curry Two is limited to just five pairs per customer.
In fact, both company earnings statements and analysts reports over the last year or so show that the Curry-branded shoes have built Under Armour's basketball footwear business from nearly nothing to one that some say could one day rival Nike's.
The story of how the Baltimore-based sportswear company locked Curry into a long-term deal (reportedly extended to 2024) is fascinating. ESPN’s Ethan Sherwood Strauss details the battle for Curry, and some companies wanted him more than others.
Strauss says Nike blew the presentation, treating Curry as a secondary star, mispronouncing his name and then, amazingly, using a PowerPoint slide that had apparently been prepared for a meeting with a different player.
When it came time to make a decision, the article says, Curry let his 1-year-old daughter Riley choose the shoe she liked best. She tossed the Nike and Adidas prototypes away and picked up what would become the Curry One and handed it to her father.
Curry's signing with Under Armour is a decision that "probably changes the flow of billions of dollars," Strauss says. Some heavyweight financial analysts agree.
According to one analysis by Morgan Stanley, Curry could be worth as much as $14 billion dollars to the company. Analyst Jay Sole wrote that Under Armour's Curry signature shoe business is already bigger than those of Nike stars LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and every other player except Michael Jordan.
Business Insider breaks down Sole’s $14 billion valuation on Curry like this: “If Curry continues his streak, the difference in market-cap value of the company could be approximately $14 billion, with Under Armour being valued at about $14.1 billion under Sole's base case and $28.2 billion in his bull case.”
So as Curry explodes on the court for long-distance threes, ankle-breaking crossovers and slick passes to teammates, he’ll likely continue to explode off the court too. He is the flavor of the month (or last several months).
If it lasts, his brand becomes like those of Bryant or James, who have each made hundreds of millions from their shoe and apparel deals and other endorsements.
In the meantime, to show just how ubiquitous Curry's presence is, Philly heroin dealers — who you wouldn’t think need help selling their stuff — stick his face on little packets (illegally, of course) and sell them on the streets of Philadelphia (illegally, of course).
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