Fresh details about FTX’s celebrity marketing machine are drawing renewed attention to the scale of payments made before the crypto exchange collapsed. According to a report citing author Michael Lewis, former NFL quarterback Tom Brady was paid $55 million to appear in promotional campaigns for FTX, while NBA star Stephen Curry reportedly received $35 million to endorse the platform.
Large Payments Tied to Limited Time Commitments
The report attributes the disclosure to comments made by Lewis during an interview. Lewis said he had seen confidential documents supporting the compensation figures. Under Brady’s arrangement, he was expected to devote only 20 hours per year for three years. That detail underscores how aggressively Sam Bankman-Fried’s exchange pursued mainstream brand recognition through celebrity partnerships, especially in sports.
At the time, FTX was positioning itself as one of the most visible names in crypto. Partnerships with elite athletes and high-profile celebrities helped the exchange reach mainstream audiences far beyond the usual digital asset community. Brady, as one of the most recognizable figures in American sports, represented the kind of credibility and mass appeal that crypto firms were eager to borrow during the market’s rapid expansion.
Equity Compensation and Post-Collapse Losses
Despite the headline-making compensation, Brady reportedly suffered major losses after FTX failed in late 2022. The report says that, although he was paid millions of dollars in cash and FTX stock, he is believed to have lost around $30 million when the value of his exchange-related holdings effectively disappeared.
The financial damage was not limited to Brady. Previous reporting referenced in the article said his then-wife, Gisele Bündchen, also saw a significant hit to her wealth after FTX equity she held became worthless. Her loss was estimated at roughly $18 million. Together, those figures highlight the risks attached to equity-based endorsement deals, particularly when compensation is tied to privately held companies operating in volatile sectors.
Inside the Brady-SBF Relationship
Lewis also offered a glimpse into the personal dynamic between Brady and Sam Bankman-Fried. According to the report, Lewis described Bankman-Fried as genuinely liking Brady, even though SBF was not particularly known as a sports enthusiast. Lewis characterized their interaction as unusual but seemingly authentic, comparing it to “the class nerd and the quarterback.”
That relationship matters because it suggests FTX’s celebrity endorsements were not only transactional branding exercises. They may also have been shaped by personal rapport and the founder’s growing ability, at the time, to move comfortably among elite public figures in business, entertainment, and sports.
Anger After the Exchange Failed
Once FTX abruptly unraveled, the tone reportedly changed. Lewis said Brady became angry after the collapse and believed Bankman-Fried had misled him into endorsing the exchange. According to the report, Brady wanted nothing more to do with FTX after the company imploded.
That reaction reflects a broader pattern seen across the FTX fallout. High-profile endorsers who once helped legitimize the platform later found themselves associated with one of the most dramatic failures in crypto history. For many of them, reputational damage accompanied the financial losses.
Celebrity Endorsements Under Renewed Scrutiny
The Brady and Curry figures also revive a larger debate over celebrity promotion in crypto. During the industry’s boom years, exchanges and token projects regularly turned to athletes, actors, and influencers to build trust and attract new users. Those campaigns often blurred the line between advertising and implicit validation, especially when consumers interpreted a celebrity appearance as a sign that a platform had been vetted.
In the case of FTX, the disclosure of such large compensation packages adds another layer to that discussion. If the reported figures are accurate, they show just how much the company was willing to spend to secure star power and mainstream visibility. At the same time, the losses suffered by endorsers themselves show that celebrity status did not necessarily protect participants from the consequences of corporate failure.
Broader Implications for Crypto Marketing
FTX’s collapse continues to serve as a cautionary example for the digital asset sector. The exchange’s rise was fueled not only by funding, product growth, and media visibility, but also by a sophisticated public image strategy built around trust, prestige, and cultural relevance. Celebrity endorsements were a central part of that strategy.
Now, as more details emerge, the episode is likely to remain part of the ongoing conversation about compliance, disclosure, and investor protection in crypto markets. For the public, the story is a reminder that even partnerships involving globally recognized athletes can carry substantial risk. For the industry, it is another sign that aggressive branding cannot substitute for sound governance and transparent business practices.
Whether viewed as a marketing triumph gone wrong or a warning about excess in the last crypto bull cycle, the reported payments to Brady and Curry illustrate the extraordinary sums that flowed through FTX before its downfall — and the equally dramatic losses that followed when that image of success collapsed.