• Loading stock data...
Saturday, May 3, 2025

Davidson’s Basketball Teams Get Eight-Figure Steph Curry Bump

As part of the fund, Curry is becoming a volunteer assistant GM for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Steph Curry
David Gonzales-Imagn Images

Stephen Curry is heavily backing Davidson basketball.

The Warriors superstar is taking on a role as the assistant general manager for the men’s and women’s basketball teams at his alma mater, the school announced Monday

Curry and credit card executive Matt Berman—who played soccer at Davidson and co-owns English second-division team Burnley FC—are starting an “eight-figure fund” to pay Davidson basketball players.

Berman’s father, Don, played high school basketball with longtime Davidson coach Bob McKillop, who coached Curry. McKillop’s son Matt now coaches the Wildcats.

The fund will be used to help both Davidson basketball programs with revenue-sharing after the school opted into the House v. NCAA settlement, which is expected to be finalized next month and will permit schools to give athletes up to $20 million annually as part of a new revenue sharing structure. 

Curry led Davidson to the Elite 8 in 2008 and finished his coursework to graduate in 2022.

Davidson athletic director Chris Clunie said the school will do additional fundraising to help with revenue sharing. 

Davidson basketball GM Austin Buntz told Front Office Sports that the Berman/Curry fund has been in the works for over a year as the school—which has enrollment of roughly 2,000 students—has tried to figure out how to compete in the modern era. 

“The collective model was always kind of a challenge for smaller schools like Davidson because we have a significantly smaller alumni network,” Buntz told FOS. “We went to Steph and the Berman family directly. They’ve been generous for decades. They jumped right in. They believe in this place, they believe in this program.”

Buntz said the program will be careful with Curry’s time. But he added that Curry is well aware of the program’s needs two weeks before the transfer portal opens and has already started his new job weighing in on the program’s offseason strategy. “He knows what our needs are going to be in the portal,” Buntz said. “He’s all in the mix.”

“The goal for this is to invest in the next student athlete that’s coming into Davidson today,” Curry said in the release.

Davidson isn’t the only school Curry is involved with funding. The avid golfer gave Howard University a seven-figure gift for the school’s golf program, which reached the NCAA regional finals for the first time in program history in 2024.  

Curry has made over $410 million in salary in his NBA career and is the league’s highest-paid player this year at just over $56 million.

He’s one of a number of NBA stars who hails from a smaller school and has the ability to drastically impact the team without taking a serious financial hit.

Most NBA stars aren’t interested in dabbling in NIL, but a few are. 

As Front Office Sports first reported, Clippers star James Harden has given Arizona State’s Sun Angel collective a high six-figure donation. Other NBA players have given smaller six-figure contributions to their schools’ collectives. 

But Curry, while in a partnership, is the first known player to break the eight-figure range and hold an official position to help his school compete in the new landscape of college sports. 

“A year ago it was how are we going to tackle this new era,” Burntz said. “How can we find that opportunity in chaos? He’s committed to helping. He knows he carries a lot of weight with players and recruits and our current players. We’re going to be incredibly mindful of his time.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Front Office Sports
exclusive

Jayson Werth: Winning Belmont Stakes ‘Comparable’ Emotions to World Series

Werth spoke to FOS at Churchill Downs about the race day high.
Apr 13, 2025; Bristol, Tennessee, USA; NASCAR Cup Series driver Ryan Blaney (12) during driver introductions for the NASCAR Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

NASCAR Champ Buys Into Ohio Racetrack

Blaney won the NASCAR Cup Series championship in 2023.
Mint juelps

Inside the 120,000-Cup Mint Julep Frenzy of Kentucky Derby Weekend

The official cocktail at Churchill Downs costs $22—or $5,000.
Dec 17, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Floyd Mayweather Jr. during the 1st quarter of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks at T-Mobile Arena.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. Hits Business Insider With $100M Defamation Suit

The suit seeks at least $100 million and a public retraction of the reporting.

Featured Today

Apr 25, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes (30) pitches during the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium
April 30, 2025

The Pirates Are Struggling, But Paul Skenes Fever Is Still Spreading

The 22-year-old pitcher is (finally) giving Pittsburgh something to cheer for.
April 29, 2025

How DJ Adam Amin Mixes Baseball With Bangers

Amin is one of Fox’s top NFL and MLB voices.
Jun 21, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Celtics majority owner Wyc Grousbeck holds the Larry O’Brien trophy prior to the Boston Celtics championship parade.
April 27, 2025

The Celtics Succession Plan Remains Murky

The transfer of power to a private-equity group is still unresolved.
April 28, 2025

Quinn Ewers Bet on NFL Over NIL—and Left Millions on the Table

The Dolphins picked Ewers in the seventh round of the NFL Draft.
Shaquille O'Neal
April 28, 2025

Shaq Taking GM Role at Sacramento State

The news comes amid the school’s push for FBS status.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Portfolio Players is our bi-weekly spotlight on the athletes and investors reshaping the business of sports. This week, venture capitalist Kai Cunningham unpacks why athletes land top deals and how the usual investing rules don’t always apply.
Mar 28, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Lamont Butler (1) dribbles the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers in the first half during a Midwest Regional semifinal of the 2025 NCAA tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium.
April 25, 2025

College Sports Has Become a Billion-Dollar Business. Kentucky Is Embracing It

Kentucky said its LLC would operate similarly to two hospitals run by the university.
Ole Miss
April 24, 2025

Coach Yo: Women’s College Hoops Are ‘Pay for Play’

Ole Miss coach Yolett McPhee-McCuin built a top transfer class this offseason.
Jan 21, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; College Football Playoff executive director Rich Clark speaks during the CFP National Championship Host Committee handoff press conference at The Westin Peachtree Plaza, Savannah Ballroom.
April 24, 2025

CFP Meetings End With No Major Changes to 12-Team Playoff—for Now

For now, the complicated seeding process will remain in place.
April 24, 2025

The House Settlement Is in Jeopardy. Here’s What It Will Take to..

The parties will try to salvage the settlement over the next two weeks.