Curry embraces marketing stardom

— -- At 6 p.m. on Aug. 19, 2014,  Stephen Curry realized he had arrived.

As the car -- carrying him, Under Armour marketer Kris Stone, his agents Jeff Austin and Kate Foley, and his security guard, Ralph Walker -- turned onto Broadway in SoHo in Manhattan, he saw the masses.

"We finally get through the intersection, and I look down and I see people waiting on the entire block -- all the way down," the  Golden State Warriors' star guard recalled. "It was uncontrolled chaos."

There was a line of at least 500 people, many of them dressed in new Warriors jerseys, the yellow and blue an unfamiliar site in the Big Apple. They wanted to meet Curry, who would be signing autographs at an event commemorating his partnership with Under Armour at the company's store.

As the car makes the turn, Foley looked at Curry, and the two started laughing. Foley wanted Curry to go in through the store's back entrance, because she didn't believe there was enough security to keep her client safe, but the kid who was told at every turn he wasn't good enough to have this moment won't go along with that.

"I've never experienced something like this," Curry told Foley. "I want to do it. I want to take it all in."

Curry stepped out of the car and walked through the front entrance with a mob of people on either side of the door.

"It's like what I envisioned college football players feel like on a Saturday," Curry said.

As he smiled and burst through the doors, Under Armour executives, VIPs, and fans who had arrived more than 12 hours before -- clapped. When the night was done, more money had gone through the cash register in one day than in the previous 116 the store had been open.

Six months later, and the fervor over the 26-year-old Curry has only grown. His Warriors are 42-9 heading into the All-Star break, and the kid who they said would never make it in the NBA is averaging more than 23 points per game, tied for seventh-best in the league. He's tied for first in 3-pointers made and is No. 1 in steals per game. Only four players average more assists per game.

All of this, combined with his story, his stature and his ability to stay grounded, has quickly made him one of the most marketable players in the league.

Curry ranked No. 1 among all athletes in a poll taken last month by digital network 120 Sports, which asked 1,400 18- to 34-year-olds who their favorite athlete was. He was the leading vote-getter for this year's NBA All-Star Game, surpassing LeBron James by more than 40,000 votes.

Fans have voted with their wallets, too. Curry currently has the second-best-selling jersey in the NBA, behind only James, but Fanatics, the largest online licensed sports retailer in the U.S., says Curry has had the best-selling jersey since Jan. 1.

Earlier this week, a fan who wanted to buy a couple of Curry youth All-Star jerseys at the NBA store in Manhattan was out of luck. There was only one left.

One of his rookie cards, which has a jersey patch and his autograph, was selling in 2010 for about $250. Today, you can't find that card selling on eBay for anything less than $1,300.

In the Bay Area, Warriors fever is alive and well. The home sellout streak has reached 109 games, and thousands are knocking down the door trying to get in. Season-ticket sales were capped at 14,500 during the 2013-14 season; 8,000 people are on the waiting list.

Curry's shoe -- dubbed the Curry One -- officially launches Friday, while his face graces ads for brands like Under Armour, Degree, Express and State Farm. His agenda has been packed with sit-down interviews from "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" to "Good Morning America."

"It's just surreal with all this stuff going on," Curry told ESPN.com after his Under Armour ad with actor Jamie Foxx was screened for the media. "Honestly, who would have thought? I'm enjoying the moment for sure, and there's a lot of opportunities that come from off the court that I never thought would be decisions I'd have to make."

It has gotten to the point where multiple endorsement offers come in every week to Octagon, the agency that represents him. Those who doubted the 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard -- who went to Davidson after receiving no scholarship offers from schools in the major conferences -- are on the outside looking in.

"He checks all the boxes," said Austin, who also represented Steph's father, Dell, a 16-year NBA veteran. "He's the everyman. He looks like the average guy when the public has a hard time relating to these super-tall muscular men. And despite that, he goes out and beats them at their game. Add to that the fact that he's a down-to-earth, approachable guy, and you have the whole package."

When details of Curry's first signature shoe started to leak earlier this season, Rick Welts, the Warriors' president and chief operating officer, put a note by Curry's locker. Welts, who spent 17 years of his career in the league office, knew how big this moment was for a young star.

"I just want to let you know how much your note meant to me," Curry said when he approached Welts for the first time after getting the note.

Welts shook his head in disbelief.

"He's one of the most special people I have been around," Welts said. "It's a testament to how his parents, Dell and Sonya, have raised him. Those guys are rock stars."

There is already a book full of stories like this.

With golf as his second love, Curry sought to become a member of the exclusive California Golf Club in San Francisco. It was a rigorous process. He had to play rounds with the head pro and with people on the membership committee. He had to go in front of the board and answer questions. Curry, who got in, never once asked for special privileges because of who he was.

"The head pro couldn't believe how unbelievable he was," said Stone, Under Armour's director of basketball marketing who frequently can be found by Curry's side. "Other athletes try to skip as many steps of the process as possible to get into the club. Steph acted like everyone else."

Curry credits his parents for allowing him to enjoy his fame but not have an ego. He also cites faith and his life story.

"I just remember two or three years ago when I was going through ankle problems and didn't know if I could have a long career," Curry said. "I also know that all this is happening for a reason and I'm able to reach a lot of different people. Everybody is human before whatever job they do, and no matter how good I am at basketball, that shouldn't change who I am. In that regard, it's easy to stay humble."

Being genuine is one quality marketers covet more than ever, as the younger population sniffs out the fake and immediately dismisses them. It's why Curry and  Kevin Durant -- who has 13 endorsements -- have so many deals.

Emilio Collins, executive vice president of the NBA's global marketing partnerships, says Curry's ability to talk to fans and business partners is second to none.

"He is so much more relatable than any other superstar out there," Collins said. "His size, his playing style, it just resonates so well with fans and partners."

And while no one is guaranteed to stay out of trouble, Curry is among the safest bets right now.

"It's in the best interest to keep guys like Steph in the forefront," Stone said. "[NBA commissioner] Adam Silver wants players who won't wind up on the front of the New York papers for the wrong reasons."

No one is backing Curry more than Under Armour, whose story as an underdog very much mirrors Curry's story. After having $17,000 in sales in 1996, the company pulled in more than $3 billion in revenue in 2014. The company's catchphrase for the Curry One is appropriately "Charged With Belief."

Curry gives Under Armour, which has had little traction in the shoe game in the nine years it has been selling them, a chance. Curry, after all, left Nike in 2013 even though his godparents work there.

"There's a lot of brand allegiance and loyalty, and that's hard to crack," said Curry, who credits Under Armour with his right ankle health since putting on their shoes. "I hope people can get outside their comfort zone and give us a try."

Curry had finally made it through the front door at the Under Armour event in August when he saw the first person in line. It was a kid in a wheelchair who was a big fan of Curry. Knowing how many people came to see him, Curry spent more than 10 minutes with the boy and his family. When he found that there were plenty who were disappointed they didn't get to meet him that night, Curry told his handlers that he wanted to limit future events to fewer people, giving the fans who were on line more quality time with him.

Imagine that. The guy who people love for his speed wants to slow down.