Stephen Curry is moving forward with a controversial endorsement deal.
The 38-year-old Golden State Warriors star player inked a contract with Li-Ning, the apparel company banned from the United States in 2022.
The company faces accusations by the U.S. government and human rights groups of using forced labor.
From the Pulitzer Center last summer:
“Earlier this year, a major investigation by TBIJ, the New York Times and Der Spiegel connected more than 100 global brands to the Xinjiang labour transfer scheme that moves ethnic minorities thousands of miles across China to work in eastern factories. The transfer scheme is a central pillar of the Chinese government’s systematic destruction of the Uyghur, Kazakh and Kyrgyz communities of Xinjiang. Anta, Li-Ning and 361 Degrees are among the brands that directly own production sites linked to these human rights abuses.”
Stephen left his Under Armour deal after 13 years in November.
The new agreement “will include basketball products, athleisure lifestyle wear, the ability for Curry to sign male and female athletes under his brand, and a full golf line,” per ESPN, which also reports that the deal is for 10 years.
ESPN also notes that a factor in his decision was “his comfort while testing the shoes of two Li-Ning signature athletes: Jimmy Butler, his fellow Warriors teammate, and Dwyane Wade.”
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“The partnership of a lifetime,” Stephen wrote on social media along with the announcement.
Forbes cites his earnings as of May 22 at $124.7 million. See more of the highest-earning athletes.
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