Mark the date: September 5, a Saturday.
Stephen Curry, the sweet-shooting Golden State hotshot who is trying to lead the Warriors to their first National Basketball Association title in 40 years, is coming to Manila for a promotional visit.
The NBA?s regular season Most Valuable Player, now acknowledged as one of the deadliest shooters of all time especially with his deft touch from the three-point arc, is arriving together with Kevin Plank, the founder of the Under Armour, one of the global brands Curry is endorsing.
Reliable sources said that Manila is the only Asian country both Curry and Plank are visiting mainly because of the growing popularity of their sports apparel line here, covering the disciplines of basketball, volleyball, running, triathlon and golf.
The preliminary plan laid out for Curry is for him to conduct a series basketball clinics and visit to places of interest, while Plank is to meet with their business partners and discuss the future of the brand which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past decade.
Plank launched the company in 1996 with just $20,000 in capital. In 2002, it was already being carried by 2,500 retail stores and in no time Plank amassed considerable fame and fortune, ranked No. 577 in the Forbes list of the world?s billionaires with a net worth of $3.4 billion.
Plank?s wife, DJ Guerzon, is said to be a Fil-American which should also be one of the reasons why the visit was finalized.
?You need to put your hands around the throat of your business, and you need to run it. There?s no other way,? Plank was quoted as saying when asked for advice on start-up businesses.
Curry is one of Under Armour?s elite endorsers who also include New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the National Football League, swimmer Michael Phelps, bemedalled ice skater Lindsey Vonn, who was once the girlfriend of Tiger Woods, and Jordan Spieth, who won the prestigious Masters leg of the golf grand slam last April.
Freddie Roach, the trainer of Saranggani congressman Manny Pacquiao who is just coming off a failed bid against Floyd Mayweather Jr., is also a brand endorser.
Curry is again expected to figure prominently in Monday?s Game 2 of the NBA title playoffs after powering the Warriors to an overtime win in Game 1 at the Oracle Arena in Auckland, Calfornia. Golden State has homecourt advantage in the playoffs.
Curry is on the third season of a four-year P2-billion rookie scale contract extension he signed in 2012. CC
