Stephen Curry has signed an endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning, moving into a fresh partnership after ending his 12-year run with Under Armour last year. The Golden State Warriors point guard said the agreement will give his brand an expanded runway of resources to grow across basketball, golf and other global categories.
Curry posted a video about the deal on his business website Thirty Ink, giving the signing a public launch on a day when fans and industry watchers were already looking for news about the next chapter of his shoe and apparel business. For Li-Ning, the timing matters because the company is trying to broaden its reach beyond Asia and use Curry's name to help push into the US market.
The new agreement is Curry's first collaboration with a Chinese brand. He had previously partnered with Nike at the start of his career before moving to Under Armour for a long-term deal that made his shoes and sportswear one of the company's signature basketball lines. Now he and Li-Ning plan to work on new products and launch Curry Brand stores in both the US and China.
That growth pitch comes with one important blank space: the value of the deal has not been disclosed. Li-Ning already operates more than 7,000 shops across Asia, and the company is presenting the Curry partnership as another step in its broader effort to become more international, even as it joins a growing list of NBA stars signing with Chinese brands.
Curry said the plan is to build on what Li-Ning has already established while creating more room for his own label to expand. If the store rollout goes ahead as described, the deal would mark a rare crossover for one of basketball's most recognizable names and give Li-Ning a platform far beyond its home market.
For Curry, the immediate question is not whether the brand will move forward, but how quickly the new products and shops can follow. The public announcement has set the direction; the missing price tag is what still keeps the full scale of the partnership out of view.
