NBA superstar Stephen Curry has revolutionized how the game of basketball is played. Transforming a game as an athlete has its perks, you earn millions. Not just from salary, but also from endorsement deals. Recently, Forbes released the list of the top 10 highest-paid athletes in the world for 2022.
Last year Curry didn?t make the top 10, he was the 11th highest-paid athlete. This year though, Curry?s moves have helped him seal the 5th spot, while last year’s #1 Conor McGregor didn?t make the top 10 this year. Interestingly, last year saw a digital financial revolution with all the cryptocurrencies, blockchain, NFTs, etc. And Curry made sure that he wasn?t left behind.
Conor McGregor earned a massive $180 million to get the top spot last year. He made $150 million from the sale of his Irish Whiskey brand, Proper No. Twelve. Even though McGregor didn?t make the top 10, he is expected to make the top 50 highest-paid athletes this year. Lionel Messi topped this year?s list with a total of $130 million in earnings.
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Stephen Curry is the #5 richest athlete in the world
It is reported that Steph landed a new endorsement deal with FTX, which also contained an equity stake. He also made moves in blockchain by releasing a collection of NFTs which featured his sneakers. And they are connected to three meta verse platforms. Also, his production company, Unanimous Media, signed a development deal with Comcast NBCUniversal in September.?
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These moves helped Curry move 6 places on the list and land the 5th spot. He earned $45.8 million from his salary and 47 million off the court. Stephen Curry is the highest-paid player in the NBA this season. He also signed a 4 year $215 million contract extension with the Warriors in August. This will get him $48 million in the next season and close to $60 million in the 2025-26 season.
LeBron James made the second spot with a total earning of $121.2 million.
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There was a time when you could be benched for attempting ?unnecessary? three-pointers. Even though three-pointers have been around for many years, a lot of coaches believed that the three-pointers were poor quality shots due to their lower success rate. But Stephen Curry showed his range by sinking shots from the half-court line now and then.
While players like Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, etc laid the stepping stone, Curry took it to the next level and proved to everyone that three-pointers can win you not just games, but championships. As a result, now you can see the rise in the number of three-pointers attempted. Not just in the leagues, it is the case right from school kids. Thanks to Curry, now we are seeing school kids pulling up from the half-court line.