Steph Curry Signs Lucrative Endorsement Deal to End Sneaker Free Agency

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry has officially put his sneaker free agency to rest.

ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that Curry signed a 10-year endorsement deal with Chinese sportswear giant Li-Ning, ending months of wondering about where one of the biggest names in basketball would land after splitting from Under Armour last November.

It wraps up one of the most closely watched endorsement searches in recent NBA history.

The partnership stretches much further than just basketball sneakers.

Curry's deal with Li-Ning covers basketball products, athleisure lifestyle wear, and a full golf line, while also giving him the freedom to sign male and female athletes under his Curry Brand.

Li-Ning is planning to open Curry Brand stores across the United States and China, giving the 38-year-old a global reach that very few athlete endorsements can match.

Curry shared the news in a video on Instagram, calling it "bigger than a shoe deal, bigger than a signature series" and going on to describe it as "a partnership of a lifetime."

Maybe the most surprising part of all this is that Curry turned down every major American sneaker brand to go with a Chinese company instead.

Nike, Adidas, and Jordan Brand all reportedly made their pitches, but Curry chose Li-Ning because of how the shoes actually felt on court.

He credited Warriors teammate Jimmy Butler and NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, both Li-Ning athletes, as two of the biggest reasons behind his decision.

During his months as a free agent, Curry wore all sorts of different brands and said he was genuinely impressed by Li-Ning's quality and comfort.

The signing gives Li-Ning its most high-profile name since it lured Wade away from Jordan Brand back in 2012, and it represents the latest sign of a growing shift in the sneaker world where Chinese brands are pulling serious talent away from American and European competition.

Curry is reportedly set to earn an insane $1.19 billion over the course of his new 10-year contract with Li-Ning.

That is worth almost four times more than what he earned in his 12-year contract with Under Armour.

The deal comes at an interesting time for both Curry and Golden State.

The Warriors finished 37-45 this past season, ending up 10th in the Western Conference before getting knocked out in the play-in tournament by the Phoenix Suns.

Curry was limited to just 43 games because of a knee issue that held him out for 27 straight from early February to early April, but when he was on the floor he still looked like himself, averaging 26.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists while shooting 39.3 percent from three.

Butler, whose Li-Ning sneakers helped push Curry toward the brand, put up 20.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 38 games before a torn ACL ended his year in January.

With Curry expected to sign a contract extension with the Warriors later this summer and having said he wants to play at least 20 NBA seasons, the Li-Ning deal signals that his off-court ambitions are only growing even as Golden State tries to figure out how to build a contender around him for the final stretch of his career.