JPMorgan Chase in January landed the naming rights to the Warriors' new arena, and yesterday scored "another prized NBA catch" with a multiyear endorsement deal with Warriors G Stephen Curry, according to Kurt Badenhausen of FORBES. Chase announced the deal "over Twitter ahead of the Warriors' nationally televised game" against the Lakers. Curry is the "hottest figure in sports right now," and Chase "is the latest" endorsement partner for last year's NBA MVP. Curry signed a three-year deal with Brita water in December, and his other partnerships include Under Armour, Kaiser Permanente, Unilever's Degree, JBL, Muscle Milk and Fanatics. With such partnerships, Curry is estimated to bank $12M "off the court with his earnings potentially doubling next season." Curry has "been a boon" to UA with the company's shoe business up 250% last year to $154M "thanks entirely to the performance of the Curry One and Curry Two." Chase plans to "use Curry as part of the bank's 'Mastery' campaign" that launched last year. Ads with Curry "are expected to debut in the spring/early summer." Chase "wouldn't comment" on the value of Curry's deal, but it is "expected to be worth" at least $2M a year (FORBES.com, 3/6). Octagon's Jeff Austin represented Curry for the Chase deal (THE DAILY).
IT’S GOTTA BE THE SHOES: CSN Bay Area’s Kelenna Azubuike noted Under Armour “hit the jackpot” with Curry and Nike has “got to be kicking themselves” for not matching the original contract he signed with UA. One reason he has become so desirable as a marketer is that he is the “most relatable superstar ever.” Azubuike: “All the kids want the Stephen Curry shoes because he's so relatable to them. You can't be the next LeBron really, just based on his stature. However, Curry “looks like a normal human.” Azubuike: “Everybody loves him, and then what he’s doing on the court obviously is a big reason he's selling shoes like that” (“Sports Talk Live,” CSN Bay Area, 3/4).
