NBA players are no longer just athletes, they’ve turned to venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. This shift has been fueled by stars like Kobe Bryant, who co-founded the $2 billion VC firm Bryant Stibel. And Shaquille O’Neal who made early investments in companies like Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Lyft Inc., Ring and Vitaminwater. Among these trailblazers is Stephen Curry. A four-time NBA champion redefining what it means to influence the world off the court. But there’s another person responsible for the Golden Boy’s move in this journey.

In a recent interview, Bloomberg’s Emily Chang said to former Warriors player Andre Iguodala: “Steph says you were the first person to bring tech and investing into the locker room. How much talk was there about tech and deals?” The former shooting guard spared no moment in answering that. He even credited Apple executive Eddy Cue. An ultimate fan of the Warriors for playing a pivotal role in fostering these conversations.

“I’m a huge Apple fan and Eddy Cue likes to hide behind the scenes, but Eddie Cue’s been a fan for so long. That’s really how I got into the space. Steph was having conversations of, you know, what’s the hottest tech company? You’re gonna see it come together, especially in a place like San Francisco, the Bay area, you know where wherever that city is, you’re going to get the vibes of that,” said Iguodala during the interview.

Now coming to Curry, he has built a diverse portfolio of tech investments with strategic foresight. Among his most notable investments is Tonal, an AI-powered home fitness system redefining how people work out. He also invested in Guild Education, a platform supporting workforce education, reflecting his dedication to empowering others.

“It has changed the demographic of, you know, who’s coming to our games. But it’s a give and take of, you know, continuing to elevate the brand of what, you know, what Warriors basketball is about and obviously championships and, and all that. But also honoring, you know, the history of, of where we’ve been. That’s something for me that’s extremely important,” said Curry during the interview on how Tech investments have changed the scene for the Warriors.

Moreover, during this interview, Curry also emphasized that these strategic investments are not just personal financial endeavors. They serve a higher purpose for the Golden State Warriors community foundation. It supports education and youth development to promote thriving students, schools, and communities for the 7 million people in the Bay area.

“Why our foundation is based in Oakland, it’s why I still have a flag there and want to continue to represent the community that supported us for so long. You know, business is, business is tough. It’s there’s, there’s definitely some hard parts about it as things evolve,” said Curry during the interview.

Not only just the players but the team itself has shown a steady improvement in terms of using technology. The team partnered with Oracle to create a cutting-edge platform designed to track player performance. This system leverages advanced data analytics to monitor everything from players’ movement patterns to fatigue levels. Enabling coaches to make data-driven decisions in real-time.

Curry and Iguodala played together for nearly a decade, a period during which the Warriors claimed four NBA championships. By aligning with Apple’s Eddy Cue and following Iguodala’s lead, Curry is charting a course that bridges sports, culture, and technology. However, this was not the only thing revealed during the interview.

Curry’s big revelation on why he is not with $115 Billion brand

As seen earlier, Curry, one of the most marketable athletes in the world. He is widely recognized for his lucrative brand deals. However, in 2013, a critical misstep by Nike led to the Golden State Warriors star leaving the sportswear giant for Under Armour.

During the same interview, Emily Chang brought up the topic of this incident. The Warriors’ point guard revealed the reason behind him leaving, which he had not done before. “There’s a reason I’m not there. I’ve always been an underdog. It’s kind of my mentality, and when I joined Under Armour back in 2013, the basketball roster was pretty slim, and basically starting the category from scratch. So to be a signature athlete for the seven, eight years that I was there to then turning it into the Curry Brand and the success that we’ve had, I’m super proud of that to be honest,” said Curry during the interview.

According to Chang, one of the Nike executives recently said that if he had stayed with the brand then it would have become a ‘Monster‘. The one misstep responsible for Curry’s leaving is that during a presentation his name was misspelled as ‘Stephon.’ And the use of a recycled slide deck originally prepared for Kevin Durant made it awkward both for Curry and his father Dell Curry.

With Under Armor, Curry has made his own brand ‘Curry’ which earns an annual revenue of $250 million. His departure from Nike is often cited as one of the biggest misses in sports marketing history. It underscores how personal touches, or the lack thereof, can profoundly impact professional relationships and brand loyalty.