“Michael Jordan Is the Ultimate Example”: Empowered by $40,491,877 Paycheck, Stephen Curry Confessed Desire to Own NBA Franchise in 2021

Stephen Curry has been one of the best players in the NBA for some time now, which is well reflected in his hefty paycheck. Earning $40,491,877, the Baby-Faced Assassin was the highest-paid player in the league back in 2021. With all that money, one can only wonder what Steph likes to spend it on. Well, in an interview with NBC Sports, Curry, backed by his paycheck and influenced by the legendary Michael Jordan, confessed his desire to own an NBA franchise.

In the 2020-2021 season, Curry made the decision to start expanding his brand. Looking to improve his portfolio, the four-time NBA Champion started investing heavily. The Dubs guard’s area of interest has always been sports and the thought of owning a franchise seemed very ‘enticing’ to Curry. Therefore, he began researching various options, looking both at the NBA and the WNBA ownership structure.

Stephen Curry once admitted that he would like to own an NBA franchise

Business is an important part of sports in this day and age, and with the amount of money athletes make, it’s no surprise that they take a huge amount of interest in it. One player who has displayed his business savvy side to the NBA is Stephen Curry. Back in 2021, the Golden State Warriors star was making around $40,491,877 in yearly salaries.

This coupled with the $44,000,000 he made from endorsements the previous year made him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. And in an interview he did with NBC Sports, Curry expressed his desire to start investing. Inspired by Michael Jordan, who owned a majority share in the Charlotte Hornets at the time, Curry expressed his desire to invest in the NBA and perhaps own an NBA franchise.

He revealed that he has already begun his research. In addition to looking at MJ, the Dubs star studied some of the other former players turned owners in the league. Grant Hill, Shaquille O’Neal, and even his coach, Steve Kerr, have or had stakes in NBA franchises. Moreover, he also followed up on WNBA ownership news and even applauded the sale of the Atlanta Dream. Curry told NBC:

“I don’t have a specific plan but I follow a lot of the conversations and some of the ways that former players kind of approached those opportunities. You see, like, Grant Hill, Shaq and other guys that have really put in the time and effort and done their homework and put themselves in position to realize that dream. Obviously, [Michael Jordan] is the ultimate example. It’s definitely interesting. It’s enticing, but a long way to go.”

It certainly would be interesting to see Steph own an NBA franchise one day. Perhaps he can even start another friendly rivalry with LeBron James, who also has aspirations of owning a team.

The NBA stopped Steph from buying a stake in the NFL’s Carolina Panthers

In 2018, the NFL’s Carolina Panthers were put up for sale. A native of North Carolina, Stephen Curry showed interest in collaborating with billionaire Michael Rubin to buy a stake in the team. However, the NBA quickly put an end to any such ideas by citing a “conflict of interest”. At the time, Rubin owned a stake in the Philadelphia 76ers.

As such, the league felt that any such partnership between him and Curry could cause issues. Thus, they put an end to his dream of owning an NFL franchise.

It’s a shame that Steph couldn’t see his dreams come true. But now that he is entering the twilight years of his career, Steph could make the ownership decision a reality once he retires.