There are reports that Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the former CEO of the bankrupt Crypto exchange FTX, paid a huge sum to NBA star Stephen Curry to promote the failed company.

Best-selling American author Michael Lewis stated in an interview with "60 Minutes" that NBA All-Star Stephen Curry received a $35 million payment to promote the exchange, working 20 hours a year for a period of 3 years.

During the interview, while promoting his new book "Going Infinite," which is about FTX founder SBF, Lewis mentioned that he had the opportunity to meet with the former CEO over 100 times and saw internal FTX documents that revealed how much celebrities earned through their collaborations with the Crypto company, including the deal with Curry.

Lewis said, "He paid American football player Tom Brady $55 million to work 20 hours a year for 3 years. He paid Curry $35 million for the same duration."

Lewis also mentioned that FTX paid several other celebrities tens of millions of dollars to promote the exchange, including a Super Bowl advertisement.

Stephen Curry became a global ambassador for FTX in 2021 and holds shares in the company. FTX welcomed the NBA All-Star's joining in a tweet, stating, "Welcome NBA superstar Stephen Curry to the FTX team! We are excited to announce that he has become a global ambassador and shareholder of FTX. But it's best to have @StephenCurry30 announce it himself."

Additionally, a commercial featuring NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal's voiceover and centered around an NBA All-Star was produced. The ad's main idea was that despite Curry being a newcomer to the Crypto field, FTX's user-friendliness would help him succeed in the industry.

SBF is currently facing multiple federal charges, including telecommunications fraud, money laundering, and securities fraud. His trial is set to begin on October 3, 2023, the same day Lewis's new book is released, and Lewis's new book about SBF may play a role in influencing the jury.

SBF is currently undergoing trial in Manhattan, New York, and it has reached its 4th day, expected to last 6 weeks.

Before the jury arrived at the court, U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan directly addressed SBF. Kaplan told SBF that he has the right to testify in court, but whether he does so depends on him personally, not his lawyer.

During the 3rd and 4th days of the trial, FTX co-founder Gary Wang testified as a witness against SBF. Additionally, Caroline Ellison, the former CEO of Alameda Research and SBF's ex-girlfriend, is expected to testify against SBF at some point.

Since December of last year, Gary Wang and Caroline Ellison have pleaded guilty to multiple charges and have been cooperating with the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office for several months.

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