From the moment Stephen Curry joined the Golden State Warriors in 2009, he was shooting the lights out. Later, when Klay Thompson and Draymond Green joined the party, the chef was ready to cook the whole league. Yeah, things really started to change for the Warriors in 2012, but the team still needed some tweaking. Well, they got the real answer when Steve Kerr came on as coach in 2014. With him at the helm, the Golden State went from the basement to the penthouse.

The Warriors were only worth $450 million in 2010, but in less than 15 years, their value shot up to a whopping $8.2 Billion, thanks to Steve Kerr and the players for racking up those championships in 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022. Recently, Dell Curry reflected on how the Warriors took over the world, particularly from 2014-2017.

“You could not escape the Warriors. You could not go anywhere and not see it and not talk about it, not see the colours, not see people rocking jerseys. Like you went to work, people are talking about the warriors” Dell Curry said. “it literally was a city-wide takeover.” Well, he is not wrong. Not only did everyone talk about it, but the whole game of basketball in the NBA started to change because of it. Everyone started pulling up from deep after watching the Warriors raining down threes. So, who wouldn’t want to watch them play? The Golden State Warriors also hold the record for one of the most-watched games.

In May, the NBA dropped Game 7 of the Warriors vs. Kings series on ABC in April pulling in an average of 9.8 million viewers. That made it the most-watched first-round playoff game in the last 24 years. Also, Game 6 of the Lakers vs. Warriors Western Conference Semifinals on ESPN in May 2023 turned out to be the second most-watched Conference Semifinals game in 12 years. The broadcast pulled in an average of 8.64 million viewers and peaked at 9.3 million at 11 p.m. ET. It was the top show of the day on May 12, dominating across all TV channels and key demos. If you look at the common factor in both these matches, it is the Golden State Warriors and a major reason for that is one name: Stephen Curry.

Stephen Curry has played a major role in the Warriors’ success and everyone knows it. But the chef still continues to work hard on his craft and getting better. That’s the mentality of a true champion. Let’s dive into how the Chef helped the Warriors make billions.

How Stephen Curry made the Warriors worth Billions

Back when the Warriors picked up Curry with the seventh pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, they were struggling hard—only won two playoff series in 18 years and barely made the playoffs in the last 15. Chris Cohan, who owned the team at the time, had to sell a majority share in 2010 after 16 years, and he sold it to Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber for $450 million.

That price seems like a steal now, with NBA teams worth over $1 billion, but it actually cost Lacob and Gruber $135 million more than they thought it would, and the team was coming off its worst attendance ever. But Lacob and Gruber put their faith in Curry, and it paid off big time. That gamble totally transformed the Warriors’ fortunes.

After a few more lucky draft picks, the Warriors started winning again and smashed their old attendance records. With Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Harrison Barnes leading the way, they snagged their third title in 2015. That victory sent their value skyrocketing. By 2019, with two more rings in their collection, the Warriors’ worth had shot up by 1000% from 2010, bumping them from the 18th spot to the top 3. Since then, the Warriors have been on a steady rise and are now worth billions!

What are your thoughts on the team?