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Benzinga
Benzinga
Business
Chris Katje

Move Over Metaverse, Curryverse Could Be Next From NBA Star Steph Curry: What It Means For Under Armour

NBA superstar Steph Curry has been one of the top players in the National Basketball Association since being drafted in 2009. Curry has landed key sponsorship and endorsement deals and also launched his own SC30 company that has investments and key partnerships.

Here’s a look at what could be in store for Curry and SC30 in the world of Web3.

What Happened: Curry is one of the most sought-after athletes for endorsement deals and one of the most valuable brand ambassadors for apparel company Under Armour (NYSE:UA)(NYSE:UAA).

On Oct. 26, SC30, Curry's holding company, filed trademarks for the term "Curryverse." The trademark filings were reported by Josh Gerben of Gerben Law on Twitter.

The filed trademarks indicate a plan for Curryverse to include video games, mobile apps to track workouts, footwear, clothing, athletic training, virtual environments and non-fungible tokens.

Related Link: 5 Fun Facts You might Not Know About NBA Star Steph Curry 

Why It’s Important: The trademark for Curryverse was filed by SC30 and, as of now, is not linked to Under Armour, which could be a key item to watch in the future.

Curry has a deal with Under Armour and could be signing a lifetime deal with the apparel company, according to sources. A new deal could pay Curry $1 billion over its lifetime and put him on the same level of deals signed by Michael Jordan and LeBron James, who both are signed with Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE). Curry is currently paid around $20 million annually by Under Armour.

With the trademark filing indicating the potential of footwear and clothing, and a deal with Under Armour up for renewal in 2024, Curry could leverage the launch of Curryverse to get better terms for the deal or to bring Under Armour on board for a partnered metaverse launch.

Curry has already seen non-fungible tokens launched with partners Under Armour and FTX. The NBA has been friendly to crypto deals and NFT launching, with league partners Dapper Labs and Sorare among the top sports-based NFT collections of all time.

Under Armour rival Nike has been among the largest public companies leading the way in the world of Web3 and NFTs. The company bought digital sneaker company RTFKT and also announced a partnership with Roblox Corp (NYSE:RBLX) in 2021.

The launch of NIKELAND in the Roblox game saw 6.7 million players from 224 countries visit the area branded by the apparel company in the first four months. James visited NIKELAND during the initial promotion.

Under Armour could have an opportunity to leverage its partnership with Curry to get further entry into the metaverse and world of Web3. Stay tuned.

Read Next: NBA Legend Stephen Curry Pays Big Bucks For Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT 

Photo: Courtesy of TechCrunch on flickr

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