NBA Star Stephen Curry Ready To Take On China With PressPlay

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It's now official: is using tech to seek global domination on and off the basketball court.
The two-time is now the new face of , a Silicon Valley digital media startup that will soon offer exclusive video and features from the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter to fans in China. PressPlay's app is scheduled for release in October, just in time for the upcoming NBA season.

NBA star and emerging tech entrepreneur Stephen Curry is hoping digital media startup PressPlay will help him reach millions of new fans in China.

PressPlay

It's no mystery why Curry is PressPlay's principal pitchman: he's a partner in the privately held entity with an undisclosed stake.

"I'm very excited to have the chance to interact with my Chinese fans in a more meaningful way," Curry said in a statement. "My fans mean a great deal to me and PressPlay will help me reach them in ways I never thought possible."

PressPlay isn't the only tech Curry is leveraging to connect with his fan base, as well as make some extra coin. Earlier this year, he co-founded , a social media network with a former college teammate and is an investor in , another startup that lets parents book private athletic coaches for their kids. And then, wiki.lynthornealder.com there's "," a collage of emojis and anime for smartphones.

Curry is among other NBA All-Stars delving into tech, including Los Angeles Lakers' legend Kobe Bryant, who is launching a . There's Carmelo Anthony who also has a VC firm, that invests in early stage digital media, and Chris Paul, who co-created an app called that aims to increase court vision awareness. Last month, the NBA players union held a in San Francisco spearheaded by Curry's Warriors teammate Andre Iguodala.

Curry and PressPlay are borrowing the blueprints of international soccer stars Cristiano Ronaldo () and Zlatan Ibrahimovic (), who each created their own app or mini social network if you will, to interact with their fans.

The creators of PressPlay said they reached a partnership with Curry late last year aiming to capitalize off his growing global popularity. The Warriors point guard has the in the NBA by sales and his name is among most searched on , a Chinese search engine.

PressPlay hopes to capture a chunk of the Chinese market, which the company estimates has more than 600 million smartphone users. The startup hopes many of those millions will be willing to pay for behind-the-scenes glimpses of Curry, a star, as he trains, hangs out with his family, and answers their probing questions through prerecorded and live-streaming media.

PressPlay cameras began following Curry during last season's. The Warriors made it to the finals but lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers. They also tailed him at this year's and will tag along during his upcoming tour to China for in mid-September.

"He's going to own his own content and choose what he wants shown," PressPlay CEO and co-founder Samuel Pearton said of Curry last week. "We are going to provide very intimate content as Steph doesn't need to do anything but be himself."






















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