Azzi Fudd joins Steph Curry in NIL deal
Two days after UConn sophomore Paige Bueckers became the first college athlete to sign an endorsement deal with Gatorade, teammate Azzi Fudd made her own name, image and likeness history.
Fudd, UConn’s freshman guard, is the first college athlete to partner with an NBA’s player’s personal brand. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry has signed Fudd to his SC30 Inc. brand for “multidimensional” partnership, which includes a sponsorship deal and personal mentoring from the three-time NBA Champion.
The deal was announced Wednesday but the relationship with the two players — both known for their 3point shooting — dates back to Fudd attending Curry’s elite camp in 2018. According to a story in The Athletic , Fudd attended a Warriors game in Brooklyn as Curry’s guest on Nov. 16, two days before UConn departed for the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas.
Fudd, according to the story, mingled with Curry’s inner circle.
Two weeks later, she officially became part of that circle.
“Azzi Fudd is the best choice to start a brand relationship like this because she is the next face of women’s basketball and has been a part of SC30 Inc. and the Curry Brand family since she was an invitee to the All-American Camp,” Curry told the Associated Press.
Fudd told the AP that she remained in contact with Curry after meeting him at the camp as a 15-year-old. Fudd won the camp’s 3point contest.
“Since I first met Steph at his camp a few years ago, I’ve stayed connected to him and have always admired his incredible talent and accomplishments, but also his humility and the impact he has on people,” Fudd said in an AP story. “As I continue to focus on becoming the best player and student I can be while in college, I also look forward to broadening my understanding of business and life beyond basketball. This partnership with Steph and his SC30 team will help me do that. I’m really excited about everything we’ll do together in the future.”
Through the partnership, Curry will mentor the 5foot-11 guard and help her build her brand while balancing basketball and school with the help of his SC30 team.
The deal will equip her with professional services (like Curry’s partnerships with Unanimous, Google and Carmax) and chances to attend networking events, coordinate future NIL deals and help promote social impact initiatives that are important to her and the Curry family.
“Our values are aligned when it comes to family, and in terms of hard work and for the appreciation of blessings in your life,” Curry said. “For me, this is the right time because I have identified the platforms that I have, aligning purpose over profit, and the ability to collaborate with the right partners for the right opportunities. I want to be able to unlock that for Azzi, and for other talented athletes and influencers that see the world the same way I do. It is my hope that we can inspire the next generation of athletes and non-athletes who want to do amazing things.”
Curry’s partnership with Fudd is one of many of his actions of helping to promote the women’s game. In 2019, he released a women’s version of his signature shoe, the Curry 6, with Under Armour.
As reported by The Athletic, Curry and his wife, Ayesha, joined the advisory council for Goldman Sachs in May to help its initative in raising over $10 billion toward supporting Black women. Earlier this summer, the family started a new scholarship for women athletes at Steph’s alma matter, Davidson College. The NBA star is also committed to funding the Howard varsity golf team.
Fudd’s father Tim said his daughter watched Curry’s routine before the game against the Nets and spoke to him after. They talked about warming up — Curry was not shooting well in warmups, yet scored 37 points in a Golden State victory — he offered advice about “honing in the little things.”
“She’s really just getting comfortable with him but she’ll start picking his brain,” Tim told The Athletic. “That’s what she does. She’ll start asking questions about his approach, his mental approach to certain things. She wants to know. She wants to know all of that.”
Fudd has already engaged in NIL activity as a college athlete ambassador for Chipotle and through a deal with BioSteel Sports Nutrition.
Bueckers also has an endorsement deal with the online sneaker marketplace StockX.