Steph Curry signs 10-year deal with Chinese brand Li-Ning, raising questions about NBA's ties to China
Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors guard and four-time NBA champion, has signed a long-term endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear company Li-Ning, ending his search for a new apparel partner that began when he parted ways with Under Armour in 2023.
Curry announced the agreement on his social media on Monday. The deal runs for 10 years, according to multiple reports.
The partnership closes a chapter that opened when Curry and Under Armour mutually ended a relationship that had lasted 13 years. That split in 2023 left one of the most marketable athletes in professional sports without an apparel sponsor, and speculation swirled for months about where he would land. Nike and Adidas, the two companies that had long been considered the favorites for any blockbuster basketball shoe deal, were not the destination.
Instead, Curry chose Li-Ning, one of the largest sportswear companies in China and a brand that has spent years building a roster of NBA stars.
The move reflects how Chinese apparel companies have reshaped the market for basketball shoes and gear. What once looked like a duopoly between Nike and Adidas has become a far more crowded field, with Li-Ning, Anta, and Rigorer pursuing the league's biggest names with offers that often include not just money but creative control and business opportunities.
Anta's current NBA stable includes Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, Alex Caruso, and Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett. The company also signed All-NBA guard Kyrie Irving to a major deal and later named him its chief creative officer. Austin Reaves of the Los Angeles Lakers partnered with Rigorer to launch a signature shoe line. Players have cited the freedom to design their own products, along with the financial terms, as reasons for choosing Chinese brands over more established Western competitors.
The Curry signing is the biggest of these deals yet, and it arrives with a set of complications that go well beyond sneakers.
China is home to an estimated 450 million NBA fans, a consumer base larger than the entire population of the United States. For players with global ambitions, building a brand in the Chinese market can matter as much as anything they do at home. That economic reality has shaped how the league and its players handle politically sensitive topics connected to China.
The most prominent example came in 2019, when Houston Rockets executive Daryl Morey posted a message supporting pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The tweet triggered a swift backlash from Chinese officials and sponsors, and games were pulled from Chinese broadcast partners. Then-Rockets star James Harden publicly apologized to China and appeared to criticize Morey, a stance that drew scrutiny from fans and commentators who pointed out the contrast with the public positions many in the league take on social and political issues in the United States.
The tension has not gone away. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has spoken about the Hong Kong episode, admitting he was wrong in his initial response and expressing regret over comments he made about President Trump during that period. But Kerr and other league figures have generally avoided sustained public criticism of China's human rights record, including its treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Curry himself has been outspoken on a range of social issues during his career, from education to racial justice. His new partnership, however, places him inside a commercial ecosystem that critics say rewards silence on subjects the league has otherwise been willing to address.
For Li-Ning, the agreement is a statement signing. Curry is the career leader in three-pointers, a four-time champion, two-time league MVP, and the kind of globally recognizable figure who can move product in every market where basketball is played. Attaching his name to Li-Ning strengthens the company's position not just in China but worldwide, and it signals to the rest of the league that Chinese brands are no longer looking for overlooked talent. They are landing the best player available.
The deal also deepens the NBA's financial ties to China at a moment when those ties are under fresh scrutiny. The league's embrace of Chinese sponsorship money, broadcast partnerships, and merchandise sales has grown even as American lawmakers and human rights advocates have raised questions about the cost of doing business in the country.
Curry, for his part, has not publicly addressed the political dimension of his new partnership. His announcement focused on the opportunity to build something new with Li-Ning and to connect with fans around the world.
What the signing ultimately illustrates is a shift that has been building for years. The economics of the global basketball market no longer flow in just one direction. The most influential brands, and the most lucrative opportunities, are increasingly found east of the Pacific. For the NBA and its stars, that means the choices they make on the court are no longer the only choices that carry weight.