How LeBron James Might Help Steph Curry Become The Michael Jordan Of Under Armour

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The gap between LeBron James and Stephen Curry on the basketball court keeps getting smaller as Curry continues to establish himself as one of the best players on earth. However, the gap between LeBron James the businessman and Stephen Curry continues to be quite wide. Sure, Curry is among the league’s biggest star when it comes to marketability, but James is potentially the most marketable athlete on earth.

During an interview with Cleveland.com at the All-Star Game, Curry noted that he views LeBron as a person whose path to off-the-court stardom he can follow.

“At one point he (James) was going through the exact same thing I’m going through now, and the transition of different phases of your careers,” Curry said in Toronto, during the NBA’s All-Star weekend. “Any smart person that wants to be successful in life has people that they look up to or follow. … He’s obviously handled that part of his career very well and he’s a great influence in that regard.”

While getting to the level of popularity of LeBron is tough, Curry is already in his stratosphere with an MVP award, a title and the more-normal physique young kids can empathize with more than LeBron’s freakish 6-foot-8, 250-pound frame. Curry is the league’s king when it comes to jersey sales, plus his brand is constantly improving, namely as the face of Under Armour. Curry even agreed that he wants to do for the up-and-coming sneaker company what Michael Jordan did for Nike.

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This is where the James could come in. LeBron is, quite possibly, the most savvy businessman among athletes today; he has sponsorship deals with everyone from Kia to Sprite to Nike, the latter of whom gave him a lifetime endorsement deal back in December. He also pursued ventures beyond sponsorships, including a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club.

If Curry wants to become the Michael Jordan of Under Armour, having a guy like James to bounce ideas off of is one of the smartest moves he can make. The King of Akron could help give him advice as a fellow athlete who came roaring into the spotlight — albeit at a a much earlier age — and was able to use that momentum to turn himself into one of the biggest stars on earth.

LeBron’s brand has continued to soar over the years, and he’s been able to go beyond the realm of sports into the entertainment business with acting and producing opportunities in recent years. Time will tell if Curry can ever get there, or even wants to branch out beyond sponsorship, but with King James in his corner, it’s not crazy to think he could become one of the most marketable athletes on earth soon.

(via Cleveland.com)

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