Beyond the 3-point shooting prowess, a signature trademark for Stephen Curry is the mouthguard that often hangs halfway out his mouth.
The mouthguard he wore during game 4 of the 2018 NBA Finals when the Golden State Warriors defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers for their 3rd championship in 4 years is being auctioned off.
Darren Rovell of ESPN has a great story about it. SCP Auctions is going to be controlling the sale that will begin on July 26 and end on August 11, giving fans a chance to own a piece of NBA history.
After game 4, Curry threw the mouthguard to a fan in the crowd. That fan presented proof of its authenticity in the form of a video a person behind him took of the throw and catch.
If this sounds familiar, it’s because there seems to be a high demand within the public for the accessory Curry is perhaps most famous for. Back in August 2016, a mouthguard that Curry wore in a December 2015 game was auction off for $3,190.
This championship mouthguard has the Under Armor logo and the logo of Curry’s interlocking SC and is clearly not a typical mouthguard.
David Kohler, the president of SCP Auctions, estimates that the championship mouthguard could be worth as much as $25,000.
At first glance, this seems like an extremely generous assessment based on past precedent of what the other Curry mouthguard sold for.
Whether the mouthguard in question being worn during a clinching NBA Finals game adds more than $20,000 to the previously established value of a Curry mouthguard remains to be seen.
There have been similarly bizarre auction items over the years. Ty Cobb dentures sold for $9,000 in 1999 and a piece of gum chewed by Luis Gonzalez sold for $10,000 in 2002.
With that added context, though, maybe it does make sense that a Curry championship mouthguard is worth more than twice what a Gonzalez piece of gum sold for.
All it takes is one Curry fan with way too much disposable income. For the right price, they can own an iconic piece of basketball lore.