Kevin Durant thinks Stephen Curry has done more than help build the Warriors - he’s helped turn them into a giant. And in Durant’s view, that kind of impact should come with a piece of the franchise.
On a recent episode of “ Boardroom Talks,” Durant said Golden State should “gift” Curry an ownership stake because of the value he’s created for the team and the Bay Area around it.
“The Golden State Warriors have been the number one valued team in sports since 2015, the year that Stephen Curry just jumped onto being this iconic player. The majority of that income is based on people wanting to come see him play.
You know, buy his jerseys. Build around the arena.
Just drives income to that region of the country, the Bay Area.”
Curry’s rise tracks directly with the Warriors’ climb. He arrived in 2009, took time to fully break through, then exploded in 2015 and helped deliver Golden State’s first title since 1975. From there, he became the face of the franchise and the engine behind its global reach.
Durant argued that a star like Curry doesn’t just lift a team on the court - he changes the business around it. He pointed to the way fans buy tickets, jerseys and everything connected to the arena experience when a player reaches that level.
“His last name is worth so much to that franchise that he should be gifted that almost at this point. It’s been a lot of guys throughout the course of the league who’ve done that. It might not have been as long as Steph, but it might have been a nice three-or-four-year period where you had a Tracy McGrady in Orlando or Yao Ming in Houston.”
“They just bring so much business to that city. They’re worth way more for that short period of time because you’re striking while the iron’s hot. I got to Houston, the ticket prices went up.”
Durant’s examples fit the point he was making. Before McGrady got to Orlando, the average ticket price for a Magic game was $44.18.
The next season, 2000-01, it climbed to $49.04. Yao Ming’s arrival in 2002 opened the China market to the Rockets and helped turn Houston into a global brand, with more international fans and more money flowing in through sponsorship and television deals.
But Curry’s case sits on another level entirely. When Joe Lacob and Peter Gruber bought the Warriors in 2010, the team was valued at $450 million. The latest updates put Golden State between $10.8 and $11.3 billion.
Durant’s point is simple: if a superstar creates that much value, teams should treat that contribution like more than just another contract. In Curry’s case, Durant believes the reward should go beyond salary and into ownership territory.
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