Is Stephen Curry the biggest needle-mover in sports history?

Granted, inflation is a real thing and the Warriors have benefited from the NBA's globalization, but Curry's financial impact is truly mind-boggling. Just consider that Golden State were the 18th most valuable franchise in the NBA in 2009, and over the past 15 years, it has leapfrogged the Lakers, Knicks, Celtics, Bulls and other big-market franchises to emerge as the NBA's top money-spinner.

Besides leading the league in jersey sales for multiple seasons, Curry continues to sell out every arena he walks into, and even gets fans to attend games early to watch his insane pre-game routines.

Furthermore, NBA Finals matchups featuring the Dubs have significantly out-drawn other teams. In 2015, when Curry played his first final, the average year-over-year viewership jumped from 15.5 million to 19.94 million. The trend continued through 2019 as Golden State reached every final. Then, the viewership dropped significantly in 2020 (Lakers versus Heat) and 2021 (Bucks versus Suns). Guess what happened when Curry returned to the finals in 2022? A near 3M bump in viewership. Last year, Game 7 between Warriors and Kings was the most-watched first-round game since 1999. 

Curry might just be the biggest needle-mover in sports history.

Some would argue that Michael Jordan was just as much a showman, who would have had a similar impact on the Bulls' valuation in today's economy. And they could very well be right.

Others would contend that NFL is still king, pointing out that the Super Bowl averages nearly ten times as many viewers as the NBA Finals -- at least in the United States.

But as it stands, Curry helped turn around a franchise's fortunes more than any athlete in history.